Only in High School
by No Pain No Gain
Summary: One awesome school, two crazy friends, one hot girl, one bully, one new kid, new classes, one week, a dangerous uncle, fun outings and one weird principal all add up to one huge disaster of a school week. Holy crap,I won't survive. Modern Hyrule,AU,ZeLink
1. Day 1: Welcome to Hyrule High

**Author Notes:**

***is jumping around, squealing fangirlishly* OMIGAWD, YOU GUYS! IT'S A NEW STORY! AGAIN! XDDDD Yes, this is another chapter=day story ^_^ Cookie for anyone who can guess for what occasion :D Hint: It's going to go until Sunday X3**

**So yeah, you think about that while I type the next chapter. I swear, this idea popped up in my head, maybe three hours ago? I had to type this chapter quickly ^_^ I havn't even planned anything yet O_o But I got some pretty good ideas X3 It's a ZeLinker too! Wow, what a major shocker XD. So yeah, I'll stop talking, and you can read my new fic :D Only in High School!!!! :DDDDD**

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Do you know how stressful a first day at a new school can be? Oh, so maybe you don't. Well I do.

So here I am, standing like an idiot in front of my new school, books in hand, bag on my back, looking at it intently. It wasn't a special school or anything. I had just used the money my late mom and dad left me to afford a school year away from my uncle. Let's just say… We didn't have a good relationship. Pffff… Men. All the stupid things they can do when they're constantly drunk…

Brushing the thoughts of my drunken uncle away from my head, I walked inside. The hallways were crowded with students, new faces I didn't even know. I swallowed. Until now, I had been home schooled by my vain uncle. Now, I decided to take my life into my own hands and go to school. Besides, he always fell asleep or sway around in a drunken manner around the first half of my course all the time.

I'm fifteen years old now. I can take care of myself.

With those thoughts in mind, I took in a deep breath and stopped a random teacher walking in the hallway.

"Excuse me, Miss, but where is the principal's office?" I asked.

She smiled warmly at me. "Head down the hallway and turn left." She answered.

I nodded. "Thank you. Have a nice day." I politely said goodbye.

"Good day to you too, young man." She smiled as I walked away.

Like she said, I walked to the end of the hallway and turned left. Soon enough, I was met with a door with a metal tag spelling _"Principal's Office"_ on it. First, I fixed my double sleeved shirt to make sure it was straight on my shoulders, adjusted my pants as not to make me look like a punk with them low under my waist, and finally, I took three deep breaths and knocked.

"Come in." a gruff voice replied.

I convinced myself nothing could go wrong, and opened the door, stepping inside.

"Yes, how can I help you?" the principal asked, an average middle aged man with a light beard and curly black hair. His brown eyes were sparkling with laughter behind the square glasses that made him look so serious, and I realized he wasn't as serious as he looked. I still restrained myself from sighing in relief, though. I also noticed the name tag on his desk _"Principal Rauru Lighte"_ it spelled.

"Good morning, Sir. I'm Link Gaiden, the new student here." I said in a monotone voice, standing as straight as possible. Call me crazy, but I had practiced all my speeches during the day at least a million times.

"Link Gaiden, hunh?" he laughed heartily, looking into his filing cabinet under G. He soon found what I realized was my file and took it out, along with an identity paper.

"Former address?" he asked.

"93532 Castle Town eastern alley." I replied almost mechanically.

"Age?"

"15, Sir, soon to be 16."

"Good." He said, giving me my identity paper. I saw he had marked check marks next to my name, age and address. "Welcome to Hyrule High, Link." he greeted.

I smiled. "Thank you, Sir." I replied.

"So, since you're new, I'll give you a day to get used to the place." He grabbed a paper. "Here's the map of the school…" he took out another paper. "And here's your class schedule." He handed both papers to me. I took them with a thankful nod.

"What about my stuff?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, thank you." He laughed, reaching for a paper. "Well, the only open room is room 244. Two boys, your age, are also in that room. So your new roommates. The class bell already rang, so they're probably in class now. You can take this key, and go to your new room to settle in." he handed me the key. "And you can meet them at lunch time. Their names are posted on the school billboard, in front of my office and almost everywhere in the school, so you can check. Any questions?" he asked.

I processed all the information, then shook my head. "Not for now…" I replied uneasily.

"Good then! If you ever have any questions, come and ask me today, during classes. After classes, today, you can ask your new roommates. So until later, Link." he laughed.

I half grinned. "Goodbye, Sir." I respectfully waved, heading for the door.

"Oh, and nice meeting you Link. Hope you like it here at Hyrule High." He grinned.

I nodded. "I'm sure I will Sir. Thank you." And with that, I stepped out and walked towards the dormitories, carrying my tiny suitcase behind me.

---

Once I had opened my new room with my key, I stepped inside and closed the door. My attention was drawn to the walls. The wall on top of the black sheeted bed was covered with posters of rock bands and skull heads. The wall on top of the dark blue sheeted one was covered with posters of martial arts and fencing stars. There were also a few posters of bands in the middle of the two beds, apparently a band that the two of them agreed on.

My eyes were diverted to my own side of the room. My bed was simple, and green sheeted. I had requested it green. The walls were faint blue, almost white, and there was one window with a pale green curtain on it. I headed for the window and opened it to let some fresh air in, and opened the curtain to let some light in as well. Then, I reached for the light switch next to my bed and put on the lights.

I also noticed there were two closets, apparently to share. One mirror was on the back of each closet door. Drawers were set in the wooden structure separating the two closets, and a stereo was put in a crevasse on top of the drawers. Other than that, there was a metal desk with two layers, a desk lamp on it, papers strewn everywhere, pencils and erasers dropped all over the desk. There was a black garbage can under the desk. In total, there were also three metal chairs. There was also one bookshelf, filled with scholar manuals I realized were mine, as well as my roommates'. There was also a random mini bar fridge, which I guessed the other boys had bought out of their own money, since it was never mentioned in my room description at the beginning of the year. I could also see a door to what I assumed was a bathroom.

Wow. This must be the most luxurious room I've ever been! Goddamn, my uncle's apartment wasn't this cool! Yeah, well, there was a bathroom for both of us, two bedrooms (go guess, the smallest one went to me), one kitchen, and one living room. And the entire place constantly smelled like alcohol and sweat. Disgusting.

So yeah. This was a whole new concept to me now. I silently put my little suitcase on my bed and opened it. Then, I made sure I had everything I needed, and after that was done with, I put my keys in my jeans' pocket, took the school map with me, money, just in case, and walked out of my room.

Making sure it was locked, I pulled the handle once more and walked away. The hallway was monotonous. Doors were lined on each side, stuck closely to each other. I soon made it to the stairs that lead to the other side, and downstairs. I checked my map. The other side was the girls' dormitories, and boys weren't aloud there. Same went for the boys' dormitory, vice-versa. I chuckled. They were right to put that rule.

So I took the staircase downstairs. Once there, I passed the main entrance of the school and headed down one more level, to the basement. Apparently, that's where the main hallways were located that lead to the main stairs, stairs H1 H2 H3 and H5. For some reason, there was no H4. Guess they must have demolished it or changed its name. Because there were also a random C3 and C4 pair of staircases that were located at the back of the school. Those lead to the gymnasiums and the cafeteria.

We could also access the fitness center by C4, and the pool by C3.

Okay, so let's take this all over again: The classes were located on the second, third and fourth floors. The dormitories on the first. The cafeteria, hallways and staircases on the basement. The pool and fitness center on the first floor. And finally, the entertainment room was on the first floor as well. Entertainment… Sweet. That's the room with the TV's, the video games, the baby-foot tables, ping-pong, pool tables, everything!

I'll visit that later. Right now, I'm curious to see who my roommates are. So I headed around, looking for a billboard. I finally found one a bit further in the hallway. I then looked around. Under the announcements for people selling old school books, or services, I found the paper with the roommate listings on them. Taking a peek at the guys' room numbers, I found my room. Room 244.

I raised a brow when I didn't see my name next to the room number, but figured they didn't have time to update all the papers yet. So I checked the names of my two other roommates and walked away.

I still had time until lunch time, when I could finally meet my roommates, so I decided to give myself a tour of this school.

Oh Goddesses, I am so lucky to be here today instead of home with my uncle.

---

_RING!_

The bell. The lunch bell. As I left the swimming pool area to head for the cafeteria, my heart started thumping faster. In fact, it started beating faster and faster with each step I took. I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life. I gulped down, but nothing stopped me from heading down the stairs to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria, the only room I hadn't visited yet, was HUGE! Around ten types of food stands were located on the sides of the circular room. Tables were set everywhere, with student scattered on each one of them. Others were standing in line at the food stands. Others were just talking. The bright colours on everyone's clothes blinded me for a moment as I tried seeing past the flurry of students.

Knowing that standing here, doing nothing wouldn't really help, I decided to check the place out. So I willed my feet to take a few steps while looking around distractedly. I didn't wake up until I bumped into someone and fell on the ground. Quickly picking myself up, I brushed my clothes off and looked at the student in whom I had bumped into.

He has so frickin HUGE! At least three heads over me, he looked like a bodybuilder more than a student at a high school. His orange-red hair was cut short and was stuck up in athletic spikes over his head. His deep brown skin tone proved he was from the desert. His eyes were peering yellow, something I had never seen before. He wore a black punk t-shirt and huge baggy jeans with shredded bottoms, as well as gauntlets on his hands. He wore old running shoes, worn by the use.

"S…Sorry about… bumping into you…" I apologized, trembling slightly before his imposing figure.

"You must be the new guy! Everyone knows not to bump into Dragmire." He laughed, gripping my shirt from the front. Way to go, Link. Awesome way to start making friends. "Because they wish they never had." He laughed cruelly. I blanched. I'm doomed. Maybe I should quit and go back to my uncle right away. His drunken attitude is much better than this.

"Leave him alone, Ganondork." I suddenly heard a voice behind me. I strained my head to see, but couldn't turn it entirely.

"Yeah, pick on someone your own size, Fag-mire." Another voice added. I couldn't help but crack a smile. Come on! It was just too funny!

"So you laughing now, punk?" he growled, tightening his grip on my shirt.

I regretted my smile instantly. "I said I was sorry!" I argued.

"Well sorry ain't enough, fairy boy." He laughed.

He suddenly stepped in front as someone probably pushed him in the back. He then growled.

"Fine, want him back so badly, you can have this freak, dweebs." He growled, throwing me away.

I put my gymnastics training in use as I flipped in the air and landed on my feet, kneeled, two hands on the ground, looking up at Ganondork Fag-mire. Sorry, sorry, couldn't stop thinking of it. Ganondorf Dragmire. It was just so funny!

"I'll be back, dweeb face." He bared his pointy teeth at me and I gulped down nervously, not moving. He then turned around indignantly and walked away with his bunch of friends (his gang would be more appropriate). I got up and brushed myself off, fixing the shirt I was wearing. Goddamn, he loosened it so much!

"You okay?" I suddenly heard the voice from before behind me. I turned around and was met with an ebony-haired boy with red flaming eyes. His bangs were strewn around, a bit like mine, but it's the current fashion for boys that way. Except my hair was medium-long, tied in a short ponytail. His cut down at the bottom of his neck. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a skull on it, and low cut punk-style baggy jeans. I could also see a hint of white, assuming what would be his running shoes, under the long jeans. His body was one of a real teen, muscled and strong. His ears were also pierced with various piercings, like two silver loops on each lobe, and some kind of punk earring shaped like a silver cylinder was rolled around the top of both his ears.

"Yeah, thanks a lot." I panted, grinning sheepishly.

"Sweet." He extended his hand. "I'm Dark." He greeted, flashing a toothy grin, showing a few of his pointy teeth.

"Wait. You're Dark?" I asked with a hint of a smile on my face as I made a fist and punched his knuckles the way boys greeted each other. Come on, I'm not THAT much of a dweeb as to shake hands.

"You know me? You're just new here, though." He raised a brow, scratching his head.

"Um.. Yeah… I'm kinda…" I bit my lip, deciding to break it to him. "I'm kinda like, your new roommate." I chuckled sheepishly, looking at his reaction.

He only smiled and turned back. "YO SHEIK!" he called. My heart thumped faster. That was the name of my second roommate.

Suddenly, after a flurry of dark blue, a blond boy with red eyes stopped in front of me. His bangs were actually neatly seperated in two ways, and his pure blond hair was almost long like mine, except he didn't tie it. His eyes were calm, and his stance was at the same time relaxed, but tense for anything that might happen. He too was also very fit and muscled, as I noticed under his shirt. He had twin dark blue loop earrings on each ear.

"Yeah?" he asked. Judging by his voice, he was the second voice who defended me before.

"This guy's our new roommate." Dark grinned. Sheik flashed a light smile.

"Awesome. I'm Sheik." He extended his closed fist in front of me. I closed my own and gave him a slight punch as a greeting.

"Oh sweet Din! We have an alibi to skip class to show this guy around!" Dark cheered.

I chuckled sheepishly. "I kinda gave myself a tour already." I mumbled.

"Aaaw…" Dark looked at the ground, frowning.

I smiled. "But I never said I didn't need help moving in." I grinned.

His eyes lifted right back up. "WOO! NO CLASSES FOR THE AFTERNOON!" he jumped around excitedly as Sheik laughed.

"Come on. First, we eat. Then, we tell the principal our super cool alibi. Then, we help you move in. Then, we spend the entire day at the Entertainment room." He grinned at me. Unlike Fag-mire and Dark, he didn't have pointy teeth.

So they led me to 'their' table, as they called it. No names, or anything, but if anyone dared to sit there, Dark would kick them out. Literally. So we sat down there, where Sheik and Dark had already put their lunch and Dark started shovelling the food in his mouth. Sheik, on the other hand, calmly ate his pasta. Then, they both looked at me as I was eating nothing.

"You're not gonna eat? It's like a regular food court, here. I trust you know how those work." Sheik chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, aren't gonna eat anything?" Dark replied through bites of Cucoo.

"No… I'm… I'm not hungry." I grinned unconvincingly. Truth is, I would have eaten something, I was hungry as hell, but there was a huge lump in my stomach that didn't let me eat. I had a hard time swallowing my own spit, so imagine with food. I guess I was a bit more than just nervous. So all during lunchtime, I played with my fingers while the guys ate their food.

Then, once they were done, I followed them outside the cafeteria, towards our room.

---

"Home sweet home!" Dark laughed as he opened the door to Room 244 and walked inside. Sheik also chuckled and held the door open for me. I thanked him and stepped inside.

"Okay, so rules." Dark pointed at a paper on the wall I hadn't noticed before.

"There are rules?" I raised a brow, disappointed.

"Aw, don't look so disappointed. You'll see." Sheik chuckled as he sat on his bed. I sat on my own as Dark stood up like a teacher and explained.

"Rule number one: Don't hog the bathroom, please." He lectured.

I laughed. If these were the rules, I could get used to them.

"Rule number two: Never clean up your stuff unless it's inspection day." He said.

I stifled a giggle. I had a feeling this was going to be fun.

"Rule number three: Help Dark in math." He grinned.

I started laughing. "You're THAT bad?" I asked.

"He barely passed his final exams with sixty percent, so now you know." Sheik laughed.

I chuckled along with him.

"SILENCE!" Dark imitated a teacher as he stomped his foot. "Now, Rule number four: Posters over the walls are musts if we want to piss off the room inspectors." He said. "We'll go out Saturday and see if we can find you anything." He grinned.

"Sure." I grinned.

"Rule number five: pillow fights are a tradition." He grinned. "And number six, my favourite: Piss off the teachers as much as possible by staying up after curfew, putting loud music, putting posters up, and a bunch more." He laughed.

Sheik and I started laughing with him. Okay, so these guys were bad ass, but at least I wasn't stuck with Fag-mire. Speaking of him…

"Rule number seven: It has nothing to do with the room's rules, but ignore Fag-mire and his bunch of faggot friends. By the way, he's the school's official bully, so avoid him as much as possible." He lectured. "Rule number eight: HAVE A DAMN GOOD TIME HERE!" he cheered.

I laughed. Sweet…

"Oh, and rule number nine." He added, clearing his throat. "There are no rules." He grinned. That was enough to make me fall backwards and start laughing like a madman.

"THIS IS GONNA BE WILD!" Sheik cheered when Dark finished reading the 'rules'.

"Totally! Now let's go excuse ourselves from class!" Dark whooped and hollered as he opened the door and ran for the principal's office. Sheik followed, and I was left behind, thinking of how cool this new way of life would be.

Sheik's blond head suddenly popped back into the room, his red eyes scrutinizing me. "Are you coming?" he asked.

I looked around for a second, energized. I had real friends now, a cool atmosphere, a good school, and a semi-perfect life. What else could I ask for?

"Yeah." I smiled, and got up. He waited for me as I stood up, and we both locked the door before walking towards the principal's office.

**TTTTT…..TTTTT**

About ten hours later, we were all in our beds, talking. Of course, the curfew had been passed over an hour ago, but my new roommates didn't seem to care.

During those ten hours, they gave me a better tour of the school, explanations and all. Then, when I was finally comfortable, they took me to the cafeteria, where I ate something. Now that I wasn't so nervous anymore, the lump had disappeared. This wasn't as bad as I thought.

And in the end, until curfew, we played baby foot and ping pong in the entertainment room, as well as watch TV and own each other at a game called Super Mash Bros Tourney. So it's basically this bunch of fighters from many different games that are all put in the same game and get to pwn each other. It's an awesome game.

Then, after curfew, they took me back to our room, where we put on our pyjamas, brushed our teeth and pretended to be asleep when the hall monitors came in, but kept talking when they were gone.

You know what? This wasn't so bad after all! For a first day, it was okay. And I'm gonna see much more tomorrow.

I smiled as I bid the two other boys, my two roommates, my two new best friends, good night, and turned around. Closing my eyes, I listened to the crickets chirping outside as I was rocked to sleep by their soothing lullaby.

***************

**Author Notes:**

**Hope that wet the appetites X3 PS: Paragraphing was CC's thing ^_^ He explained to me how to make paragraphs with speeches and dialogues ^_^ Hope I got it right :)**

**So, a bit about inspiration ^_^ This is actually how I felt when I moved into my new school this year. No, it's not a school where you sleep in the school, but I still felt like Link in the cafeteria, or around the school and stuff. First day, I was supposed to buy my lunch at the cafeteria, and I ate anything that would be allowed to go down (aka, three spoonfuls of rice). I tried to calm down, but I couldn't so I ended up throwing all my lunch away XD And then, the school was so frickin huge! :O I kinda got lost, but thankfully, they didn't kill the new students fore being late XD THEY DIDN'T EVEN GIVE US A FRICKIN MAP! I sure could have used one TT__TT**

**EDIT: A lot of people said that they liked how I portrayed Link's emotions in this chapter ^_^ Well, truth is, I just wrote down how I felt the first day at my new school ^^; Of course, there was no bully, and I didn't have roommates, but it was still almost the same :)**

**Oh, and a few significant things ^_^:**

**Room 244= My English classroom XD**

**93532 (Link's address): take a phone or a cellphone and translate the numbers into letters. If you find what that spells, then you gets fifteen cookies ( I don't know why 15, but whatev XD) and a hug :D**

**Ganondork: Hehe ^^; Used to call him that the first time I played OoT and died XD**

**Fag-mire: I was kinda looking for something that I could distort off Dragmire to make it sound stupid. I thought of Bag-mire, dag-mire, lag-mire, then suddenly, Fag-mire popped up in my head XDDDDD It fits him SO MUCH! B.T.W, F.Y.I XD (stands for by the way, for your info XD) Fag is short for faggot X3 That's why I laughed so much lolz XD**

**Dark and Sheik: I dunno why, they just felt like the perfect roommates ^_^ Dark's the rebel, fun, punk boy, and Sheik's the calm, funny, cool guy :) We'll see about Link later ;)**

**Oh, and a lot of things will be explained in the next chapters ^_^ So please review :D Seeya later, guys ^_^**


	2. Day 2: Meet the Boys and girl?

**Author Notes:**

**Day 2 :D And we finally meet the people ^_^ Ganondorf's gang will be explained thoroughly later on. You'll see ^_^ Oh, and someone very important is coming in this chapter :D Enough spoilers, read on ^_^**

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In the morning, I was roughly pulled awake by the sound of our alarm clock. I groaned, searching for the snooze button, but realized it was on the desk on the other side of the room. Both other guys started mumbling, and I chuckled. Someone had to sacrifice themselves. It would be me, of course.

So I got up and stretched while the alarm still rang, and furiously pounded on the snooze button. Then, with a yawn, I returned to bed.

"All hail, the Hero, Link." Dark mumbled as he gave me a half-asleep thumbs up.

I chuckled, and checked the clock. Six. The courses start at eight. "Guys, I don't know about you, but I don't wanna be late for my first day." I yawned as I got up and headed for the closet I shared with Sheik. Since we had two closets only, Dark and I had the two closets to ourselves, but Sheik put a bit of his stuff in both of our own. There, I chose a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt, and headed back to bed.

Sheik groaned lazily and got up, rubbing his eyes.

"Kid's right, Dark. We'd better get up if we want bacon for breakfast." He yawned.

Dark's ears twitched, and he jumped out of bed. "I WANT BACON!" he screamed as loud as possible with his raw voice from just waking up.

"Shut the hell up and wear your stuff. If we get to the cafeteria long enough, there will be enough bacon left." Sheik rolled his eyes. Dark nodded and ran for his closet.

I chuckled. "I never knew he was such a fan of bacon." I shrugged, taking off my pyjama shirt to wear my other one.

"Yeah, well, while here, you're gonna learn a lot of things." Sheik chuckled, grabbing a random blue shirt with red patterns on it and a pair of jeans.

"Yeah, like Sheik has a crush on a girl." Dark shrugged.

I chuckled and looked back at Sheik, who was blushing madly. "Who is it, Sheik?" I asked, curious.

There was a moment of silence, then Sheik gave up. "Tetra…" he finally sighed out.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"I'll show you in math class. She's in our class as well." He shrugged, still blushing.

I grinned harder. "So how come you've never broken it to her, hunh?" I raised a brow as I took off my pyjama pants and slid on my jeans.

"But… She's so… popular, and pretty... Hell… I don't know why she doesn't have a boyfriend yet. She rejects them all." He sighed, shaking his head.

"She's just waiting for you, then." I shrugged.

"You think so…?" he asked in a faint voice.

"I KNOW so." I grinned comfortingly.

He smiled and hugged me. "Thanks." He whispered. I smiled. There were so many things I needed to learn about these guys' customs…

"Guys, stop acting gay and wear your things, I'm kinda getting impatient for bacon here." Dark broke our conversation with an annoyed voice.

Sheik slowly let me go and grinned at Dark. "Why don't you mention how many times you've hugged me, Dark?" he grinned. I laughed at that.

"But… But… You saved me the last portion of bacon! How could I NOT hug you?" he made pouting eyes as we both burst out into laughter.

"Okay, but if we get there late, I'm not saving bacon for ANYONE." I cleared up, waving my finger as I headed for the door.

"THAT BACON IS MINE, BITCH!" Dark yelled, jumping on me, sprawling me on the floor.

I started laughing as Sheik helped me up. "Please tell me he's overreacting…" I groaned amusedly.

He flashed a grin. "Yeah, he's always like that with new kids around. Just wants to show 'em he's cool and all that. Cough cough, failing miserably as well." He chuckled as all three of us stepped out.

---

Six thirty AM. I don't thought anyone would be in the cafeteria by now. Guess I was wrong. There were so many people like Dark, it seemed. A lot of people were already seated at their tables, eating breakfast.

I was looking around as Dark ran for the breakfast stand and jumped up and down in front of it.

"Tell me there is bacon left!" he exclaimed.

The lunch lady neutrally looked over and nodded. "One portion." She growled.

I chuckled, realizing she must have been bored out of her wits. "You can have it, Dark. I'll stick to sausage today." I laughed.

Dark punched the air in triumph. "WEEEEE! I GET THE LAST PORTION OF BA-CON, AND YOU DO-ON'T!" he laughed as the lunch lady rolled her eyes and put bacon on his plate, as well as a portion of scrambled eggs, a toast and an empty cup for free service.

"Six rupees, please." She groaned. Dark jumped around, pulling out six rupees. The lady took them with the frown she always wore and turned to us. "What about you guys?" she asked in a gruff voice.

"You go first." I motioned to Sheik.

He nodded. "Kay… Sausage combo, two times, please." He ordered. I flinched.

"You're aloud for two portions?" I scratched my head confusedly.

"No, I'm ordering for you, you idiot." He smiled at me.

I shook my head. "No, it's okay, I can pay for myself." I told him.

"Sorry, you're not squirming your way out of this one. At least today. As a 'Welcome to Hyrule High' gift." He shrugged.

I sighed. "Fine, but just today." I chastised amusedly.

He chuckled as he received the two platters. "Alright." He smiled.

"That'll be twelve rupees, please." The lunch lady's bored voice reached my ears.

Sheik nodded and took out his wallet, taking out a yellow rupee and two green ones. The lady took them with a frown, as always, and taking our platters, we walked to 'our' table.

So that's how I spent my morning. Eating and talking with my two new best friends. And I couldn't wait for classes. Something tells me I'll meet much more people than Sheik and Dark.

Oh Farore, this is going to be AWESOME!

---

"Seven thirty, we'd better get going…" Sheik finally said once we had finished eating and talking.

"Are we supposed to take books, or something, with us?" I asked.

"Yeah, exactly why we have to go to our room now, get our stuff, and go up to the classroom on time, before eight o' clock." Dark shrugged.

I looked around, noticing no students but us were left in the cafeteria. "Good idea." I groaned with a smile.

Laughing, we made our way up to our room.

---

And we were running in the hallways around seven fifty. I raised a brow as I followed the two boys. I could always use the excuse of being a new student here and getting lost, but they knew where the classes were very well. So we ran.

"Where we going?" Dark panted.

"Math class!" Sheik replied in the same panting voice.

"We're heading towards science this way!" Dark protested.

I groaned. "Take the H3, then." I suggested.

They both stopped running, looking at me incredulously. "The new kid knows the school better than you, Sheik." Dark groaned.

He rolled his eyes and started running again. "Just head for H3, Dark." He sighed.

I laughed freely as I followed them.

---

As soon as all three of us stumbled into the classroom, the eight o' clock bell rang.

Dark started laughing as he headed for his desk. Sheik came with me as I advanced to the teacher's desk.

The teacher, a brown haired woman, stood up and smiled. "Hello… You must be our new student, Link!" she smiled. Her attention turned to Sheik, who was smirking at her. Her smile fell. "And I see… you've made some… nice… friends… already…" she half-groaned.

I laughed. I'd have to ask Sheik and Dark about that later. "Yes Ma'am." I said happily.

"Very well then. You may take the seat at the back of the class." She pointed diagonally back of Dark. He flashed a grin at her. She moaned. "Please enjoy your time here at Hyrule High." She greeted mechanically.

I smiled. "Thank you Miss." I laughed along with Sheik as we both headed to the back of the class.

When I finally put my books down, bearing the gazes of more than just one student, I looked around. Sheik was right next to me, on my left, and there was a wall at my right. Dark was in front of Sheik, diagonally from me. In front of me, there was someone I didn't know. So I turned to Sheik.

"So why does the teacher hate you so much?" I asked with a wry grin.

Sheik stifled a laugh as the teacher started explaining something about algebra. "We pissed her off so much, talking in class, chewing gum, not doing our homework, throwing paper airplanes…"

Dark cut into that. "Flashing her seductive smiles all the time, talking to her as if she was our friend…" then, the two mischievous boys looked at each other. They both grinned and turned back to me.

"Putting pins on her chair and stealing her test papers…" they announced together, proudly.

I started laughing, trying to keep it low. "You guys are amazing…" I whispered.

"We know." Sheik answered for both of them.

The teacher suddenly turned, noticing us talking. She groaned in annoyance. "Boys, please. Be kind to me, and don't influence the new boy." She sighed.

"Alright, Aroma." Dark called, turning away. I guess the woman's name was Miss Aroma. Nice going, Dark. Throwing one more worried gaze at us, she turned her back and started writing on the chalkboard.

"She's just a huge drama queen." Sheik shrugged.

I smiled. "I can see that." Then, something, a forgotten memory, flashed in my mind. "So who's Tetra?" I whispered, lower than ever.

Sheik blushed, but sighed. He turned around, pretending to open his book right when the teacher looked at us. When she turned back, he took out a paper and started doodling. I raised a brow, but kept silent. Soon, Sheik gave me the paper. I took it, and realized it was the classroom's plan. And a single desk was coloured in pale blue.

I smiled at him, then looked towards the desk he marked. My eyes were met with a pretty blond haired girl who was looking at the teacher, boredom evident in her eyes. It was obvious she's rather be playing soccer than be in class right now. I could see the gentle, but also feral look in her eyes.

Next to her, talking between each other were an orange haired girl with red eyes, and a very beautiful girl with blond hair and giggling blue yes. I gulped down, but diverted my attention from her.

Then, I turned back to Sheik with a gentle smile. "She's cute." I winked gently.

He blushed madly and took back the paper, ripping it. I chuckled, but turned my attention back to the teacher.

Whether I liked it or not, the point of coming to school was to learn something.

And to escape from my uncle, but that's a whole other story.

---

As the bell rang, I gave out a sigh of relief. I took my books and put them in my bag as I waited for Dark and Sheik.

"Well, that couldn't have been more boring." Dark sighed as he put his books in his bag.

"Tell me about it." Sheik groaned as he took his own bag. Together, we walked out.

"So where to now?" Dark asked.

I took out our schedule and raised a brow. "English." I read.

"Oh yeah." Sheik laughed. "I have someone I want you to meet in English class." He grinned.

I nodded with a smile. It's never too late to make new friends. Or enemies, as I learned later on.

---

We got early to English class, so I chose my place and sat down. Dark was now on my right and Sheik was on my left. And we were still at the back left corner of the classroom.

So once settled down, Dark piped up. "Yo, Link, I want you to meet my two other buddies!" he whistled.

I raised a brow but waited. Soon enough, two teens came striding towards us. Once there, they both gave Sheik and Dark a punch on the knuckle and turned to me.

"And you are?" the black-eyed one asked. I scanned him.

He was pretty muscular, and wearing a tight pale blue shirt. He had jet black hair, the same colour as his eyes. His jeans were stone washed and pale, ripped in a few places. He had black running shoes with untied laces.

"Yo Mikau, this is Link." Dark introduced us.

Mikau flashed a smile. "Sup. You must be the new guy." He extended his knuckles.

Once again, I greeted him with a punch, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm Link, nice to meet you." I smiled.

Before he had time to say anything more, Dark pulled me to the next guy. "And this is Darmani." He presented me to the other guy. He was as tall as Fag-mire, at least! HE WAS HUUUUUUGE! With strong muscled arms, tight abs, and a square figure, he also looked like he belonged in a fitness center more than in school. His brown hair was tousled playfully, and in his deep brown eyes, I could see a gentle and caring flame. He was wearing a faded orange shirt, and jeans, like everyone else.

"Nice to meet you, Darmani." I gave him a punch that almost broke my knuckles. What? Is this guy made out of rocks, or anything? With a faint smile, I pulled back.

That's when the bell rang, and the teacher told us to sit down. We all waved goodbye, and took our places for English class.

---

After English, it was lunch time. So we gathered our books, and along with Mikau and Darmani, Dark, Sheik and I walked down to the cafeteria.

On the way, I noticed Ganondorf's gang standing in a corner, laughing about some joke. So since we were heading in their same direction, I took the time to analyse them.

There were about 5 people in the gang. Four of them were boys, one was a girl. The boys were all wearing a black shirt and baggy jeans. The girl had a tight sports bra-like shirt that gave open on her stomach, also revealing the full volume of her cleavage. I turned my head away, disgusted.

One boy had ruffled dirty blond hair in spikes. The other had brown hair put up with gel in a mohawk style. Another had jet black hair that was in spikes in front, but very cut down in the back. The last unknown one to me had long purple hair, which surprised me. And Ganondork had his medium long orange hair, as usual. The girl, on the other hand, had pure black, shining hair with a few red highlights. A fringe of thick hair covered her left eyes diagonally.

Ganondork pointed my way as we passed in front of them. I tensed, pretending I didn't see them, but I faintly heard the school bully say "That's him…" while we walked away. My heart stopped pumping, but I kept moving, wondering what they had against me. I hadn't even done anything embarrassing! Yet…

So with those thoughts in mind, I followed my friends silently as we went down for our lunch break.

---

After lunch, we had science class. Thankfully, it was the closest class to the cafeteria, along with Geography/History and Arts, so we took our time eating. While eating, though, my attention diverted to another table. More specifically, Ganondorf's table.

But also Tetra's table. No no, I'm not stealing Sheik's girl, I'm just…looking… at her friends, that's all! The orange haired one with red eyes was talking amiably with the black haired girl, but ignoring the brown haired one's obvious attempts to seduce her.

But that's not what I was concentrated on. I was actually concentrated on the blond haired girl who was picking at her lunch uninterestedly. And guess who was talking to her. Yeah, I could see right through Ganondorf's methods to try and woo her. He stood close while talking to her, smiled all the time, arched his brows… But the girl didn't respond, merely nod or shake her head politely as an answer to all his talking.

So, thinking of that pretty and mysterious girl, we walked to science class.

---

Inside the classroom, I first checked the way the desks were put. They were actually more like counters, with two students at each table. My heart sank. Even with Mikau and Darmani, we were still five people in our group. Dark and Sheik were together, so that means I'll have to be stuck with someone I don't know…

With a sigh, I headed for the teacher as my four friends went to put their bags down on their tables.

"Good afternoon, Miss. I'm the new student here, where may I sit?" I asked with a half-smile.

The woman smiled and looked at the class. "Well, there's the empty seat besides Miss Harkinian... Mr Dragmire used to sit there, but I'll change his place. That boy is such a pain." She sighed.

I turned to the classroom. "Excuse me, but who is Miss Harkinian?" I asked, cocking my head to the sides.

She started laughing. "Of course, I'm sorry, that's the young miss at the counter next to the second window, there." she pointed the way. My eyes followed her trail until I was finally met with the girl I'd been watching during lunch time.

I forgot everything else she had said, mesmerized by her beauty. My mind didn't even work enough to realize what I was thinking of. "Thank you, Miss." I emptily said, heading for the young girl.

Noticing that I was staring impolitely, I composed myself again, then headed for her, straight and and with a smile, trying to make a good impression. When I finally reached her, I put my books on my side of the table and smiled. "Hi, I'm Link, the new student here. Miss Anju said I would be sitting here." I greeted.

Her bored face suddenly lit up, and her features were graced with a smile. "Well of course! Sit down, please!" she sounded a bit too eager as she patted my chair, but I kept it to myself as I put my bag down on the table and sat down. "So, hi, I'm Zelda." She greeted, extending her hand with a genuine smile.

My world froze. My vision swam. What a beautiful name for such a beautiful face…

I was shaken out of my trance when she nudged me. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

I blinked and nodded with a smile, taking her hand and lightly shaking it. "Yeah, thanks. I'm Link." I greeted.

She giggled as the bell rang. "Well, you're certainly a refreshing change from Ganondorf." She smiled as she opened her book.

I raised a brow, but kept silent. Different with what?

---

We were doing an experiment when suddenly, the door swung open, and in came Ganondork with a permission slip.

He gave it to the teacher, who nodded, and turned to the class. "Class, I will be leaving for a moment. Please stay seated and continue your experiments, I will be right back." She announced, stepping out of the classroom.

My attention diverted back to our work. I peered into the microscope as I adjusted the lens. "I think this is the onion root." I nudged Zelda, who was writing down the answers in our collective activity booklet.

"Lemme see." She said. I pushed the microscope to her side.

She took it and peered inside. "I can't see anything." She looked back up at me, disappointed.

"Wait, maybe it just moved." I suggested, putting my eye in the lens. There really wasn't anything. "See if this works." I tried as I switched the lens.

"I see something…" she called.

I leaned back up and pushed her away gently with my face. She blushed, but I hardly noticed. I looked inside, and saw it. "I'll put the focus back on, tell me when it's okay." I told her. She nodded as I leaned in to see the focus adjusting ring. Our faces were so close when I felt a strong, vicious hand on my shoulder and I was pulled back and fell from my seat.

"Move it, dweeb, that's my place." Ganondorf sneered as he sat down in my place.

"Dude!" I protested, rubbing my aching back. Since the lab chairs were higher, I fell from a higher distance, and the impact was rude.

"Yeah, Ganondorf! That was rude!" Zelda crossed her arms as she tore away from the microscope. I stood up, still rubbing my back.

"Come on, baby girl! At least now you got me instead of that dork!" he flashed her a seductive smile.

"Ugh! Get away from me, you freak!" she moved her chair away, being careful not to touch him. I stifled a laugh.

"Come on, Zel!" he protested, still grinning.

"I said NO, Dragmire! He actually WORKS instead of letting me do all the work and copy it afterwards while trying to seduce me!" she yelled, pointing menacingly at him. I still tried to keep my laughs in, and had to pretend to cough to prevent Ganondork from breaking my face, or anything similar

"Come on, girl! Show me where the protons and neutrons are!" he flashed her a grin.

"WE'RE DOING A FRICKIN SCIENCE EXPERIMENT ON DNA, NOT PROTONS AND NEUTRONS, YOU DOUCHE BAG!" Zelda burst out on him with a frustrated yell. By now, the entire classroom had turned and was looking at us.

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed, then he grabbed my shirt from the front, still glaring daggers at Zelda. While he was busy, I started pulling on his hand. Seems all my shirts will go down under this freak's hands. "Fine then. I'll see you later, babe." He forced a smile, getting up from my chair and stepping down, lifting me up slightly at the same moment. Dude! This guy's got arm power!

"Put him down, Ganondorf." Zelda ordered. I blushed. I had a girl standing up for me now? Well… It sure beats getting the shit beaten out of me…

"Fine, fine." Ganondorf dragged me through the air and plucked me down on my seat roughly. I wish I could rub my butt now, but my hands were too concentrated on making Ganondorf let go of my shirt to do anything more.

"And let go as well." Zelda crossed her arms.

Ganondorf sighed and let go. "Seeya later, babe." He waved at Zelda, then turned at me. I felt small and vulnerable once more. Check his goddamn size, and you'll understand. "I'll see you too, dweeb." He grinned evilly, cracking his knuckles.

Thankfully, the teacher came in at that moment, back turned at us. Ganondorf took the time to straighten out and flash a fake smile.

"I'm sorry Miss, but where am I supposed to sit?" he asked with a gentle voice.

"Oh, you're at the back, Ganondorf, with Zant. I told you already yesterday." She pointed at the open spot at the very back, next to the brown haired kid in his gang.

"Alright, I had forgotten. Thank you Miss." He smiled again, and turned around. As soon as he turned, though, his smile became a grin as he dug his gaze into mine, fire blazing in his eyes as if saying "I'll see you later alright…" to me visually.

I gulped down and turned to Zelda, who was writing in our booklet, eyes downcast. "Okay, so it's definitely an onion root." I whispered, still shaken by the meeting between Ganondorf and I.

Zelda's gaze lifted, and she chuckled. "Thank you." She blushed as she put her pencil down to write. I blushed as well and turned away. So maybe science wasn't all that boring after all…

---

After science, there was dinner. So I said goodbye to Zelda, who smiled back at me, and headed for the guys, who were packing their thing.

"Oh Goddesses, Link. Seems Ganondorf hates you more and more now…" Dark sighed.

I chuckled darkly. "I was defended by a GIRL."I whispered.

They both laughed. "But that girl is the most powerful girl over the boys in this entire school." Sheik whispered back amusedly.

I raised a brow. "Why?" I inquired.

"Zelda's the principal's daughter." Dark shook his head as he looked at Ganondorf's pathetic attempts to woo Zelda. She turned away and strode off with her two other friends.

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah." Sheik replied as we took our stuff and headed out.

"I say we have dinner in our room, I'm pooped." Dark groaned as we wondered down the hallway.

"So… We'll buy our lunch and go eat in our room?" I asked, making a connection.

"Wow! How'd you guess? You're very smart!" Sheik feinted amazement and we laughed as we headed for the cafeteria.

---

"Dark, you spilled sauce on your sheets… Again…"

"Who's the one sleeping there, you or me?" Dark retorted as he used a napkin to wipe the pasta sauce off his black sheets.

Preferring not to risk spilling anything, I took the floor, leaning against my bed frame, slowly munching on my subway sandwich.

"So we still have thwo hours until 'curfew'." I said the word 'curfew' while making the apostrophe movement with my fingers. Of course, they wouldn't respect it. "So what do we do after dinner?" I inquired.

"We go to the computer lab. The Entertainment room is probably too crowded anyway." Dark suggested.

Sheik nodded. "Yeah, they got really cool stuff in there." he shrugged.

I cracked a smile. "Can't wait to see…" I laughed as I kept eating dinner.

---

The computer lab was, as the guys put it, "amazingly awesome". High tech computers and printers, speakers, scanners, EVERYTHING WAS THERE! There was a separate room with all the equipment of a recording studio, and another room with all the equipment for shooting movies, like a green screen, booms, stereos, cameras, and all that.

I just checked out the digital pen tablet computer screen they had. So it's basically a computer screen that is set diagonally, like anything you can write on, and a digital pen comes with it. Wherever you touch the pen on the screen, the pen acts like a mouse. And since it also worked for digital art, I picked up the pen, opened a new Painter document, and started drawing.

Drawing was a natural talent. When my life started taking a turn for the worst when I was six years old, (when my aunt died and my uncle started drinking), I usually drew back to my room and made sketches of various things. Sometimes, it'd be a representation of how I felt. Sometimes, it would be a random sketch that I decided I would do. Sometimes, when I was really angry or hurt, I'd just run my pencil across the paper in random lines, and imagine a drawing that could be formed using those lines. So drawing was a way of expressing myself.

I didn't realize, when I was already done sketching a bit later, that Dark and Sheik were watching over my back. I blushed and turned to them, looking at their incredulous faces.

"Dude…"

"Oh… My… Farore…"

"What I do?" I asked, wondering why they felt that way.

Sheik was the first to snap out of his trance. "Oh sweet Din! That's amazing!" he pointed at my drawing.

It was just a rough digital sketch of a guy who was smiling, holding out to the sun while the moon stood behind him. So basically, it meant that I had crossed over the dark times and was now reaching towards a near future of happiness.

"It's just a sketch…" I mumbled, embarrassed.

Dark poked the screen. "But it's a cool sketch! Where'd you get the idea?" he asked.

"Story of my life." I mumbled absently, going back on the nine years that the moon represented.

The two boys suddenly shut up. I guess they realized what the moon stood for as well.

"You'll have to tell us more later about your past life. Right now, we have to get to bed. Stupid curfew." Dark grumbled.

"Kay. Let's go." I closed my document without saving anything and walked out, leaving the two boys behind. They'd catch up.

So while I moved down towards my room, I thought back. Had they realized how bad of a situation the moon had been representing? I hoped not. Out of all the people in the world, my friends shouldn't be the ones to hear about my past life's troubles.

Speaking of friends, here they come.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to meet Sheik's worried eyes. "You okay?" he asked, concern evident in his eyes.

"Yeah." I replaced my frown with a sad smile. "Just tired. Let's go to bed." I suggested.

Sheik turned back to Dark, and they nodded. "Guess we'll have to respect the curfew this time…" Dark sighed.

I turned back with a faint smile. "Oh, no, of course, don't mind me! I really wouldn't want to be the element that controls your lives." I quickly covered up.

The two boys looked at each other again, then back to me. "No, Link. You're a friend now. We care, and we gotta stick up for each other. Deal?" Dark extended his hand.

I knew this had to be a handshake. I smiled faintly. "Deal." I agreed, shaking it. With that, we all shut up as we silently glided back to our room.

Once there, I changed into my pyjamas quickly and silently as well. Before any one of them was even ready, I had brushed my teeth and slid into bed. My thoughts were still revolving around today, trying to forget my drawing's significance.

So I thought of Zelda. That was enough to calm me down as I sighed in content. Zelda…

"Good night you guys…" I called out emptily.

"G'night." Came the mumbled reply, hinted with worry and concern.

I smiled and shifted, trying to get comfortable. I was so lucky to have friends like this. They cared for me, they loved me, they worried over every mindless thing I had. I could have cried, but if you knew my life, you'd know it takes much more than that to make me cry.

I'm just being a drama queen now. Good night.

***********************

**Author Notes:**

**I hesitated to finish it that way, but I guess it's okay ^_^ And the boys will find out the hard way what the moon represented X3 *sees everyone staring sceptically at her* What? Every story needs a LITTLE drama! Or it just becomes a string of mindless words stuck together with Elmer's (c) glue! XD Yes, the cheap glue XD **

**So yeah. I will give a cameo to anyone who can find out the names of the people in Ganondorf's gang. Clue: Two of them are very scarcely known and are present in Zelda games for Gameboy Advance :D Do your research XD. You have until next chapter, as in tomorrow, to give me the answer ^_^ So good luck ^_^**

**Oh, speaking of research, everyone knows this is a ZeLinker, so no spoilers here. Isn't it ironic? Science class is where the chemistry started between Link and Zelda XDDDD Okay, bad pun, so kill me XD Yeah, actually, science is where they get to be together the longest ^_^ Oh, and yes, it's important to know that Zellie's the principal's daughter :) And Ganondorf's hitting on her XD And yes, Ganondorf will "see Link later" the hard way ^_^ And that's the start of Link's badass career XDDDDD**

**So until tomorrow :) Hope you liked this chapter, as usual, I tried planning it, but I kinda did the plan at night, in bed, so I was tired, and all.... So yeah... Might not have been so great XD**

**Oh, and you know what's really weird? Since I'm quickly writing every chapter, I wasn't expecting this fic to be longer than 20 000 words, but check. First two chapters out of... umm... *counts on fingers* 7 chapters in total, and I'm already at 8 600 words XD I swear to God, these things just type themselves up O_O **

**Okay, I've ranted enough for one A/N, so hope you liked this, and please leave me a review :D**


	3. Day 3: Dark Rebels and Tomboy Princesses

**Author Notes:**

**Well, this chapter was very early today O_o Oh well :) More time for me to type chapter 4 :D And the weird thing is, it wasn't even smaller than the two other chaps :O It's actually the longest chapter in OIHS till now :D Oh well. The paragraphing was very VERY confusing this chapter, so hope I got it right TT__TT So enjoy :)**

**PS: Cussing words alert, whether in English or in Hylian XD You'll see what I mean ^_^ But anyway, a few f's in this chap ;) Hehehe ^^;**

************************

Good morning to the world! I stretched and yawned as I got up. Looking at the alarm clock, I realized it was still five in the morning. What took me to wake up this early?

Shrugging, I moved to get dressed. I guess I could grab a coffee or something before morning classes and come back for Dark and Sheik later. They wouldn't wake up before the alarm, anyway, but just in case, I left them a note on my bed, picked up my wallet and walked outside the room, towards the cafeteria.

---

So after buying a coffee at the cafeteria, I walked down the hallway that led to the outside yard. I heard that's where we'd get our P.E. courses when the weather would be nice.

So after a while, I was finally met with the door that led outside. Without a second thought, I opened it and stepped into the grassy fields of the yard. It was still pretty dark, but I didn't really mind it. Well, not until I heard a very annoying voice behind me.

"Lookie here, it's fairy boy!"

Before I had time to reply, though, I felt someone put a hand over my mouth and twist my arm behind my back. I dropped my coffee in my momentary surprise as my other arm was held down with the twisted one as well. And I didn't need to guess twice to realize who was doing it.

"Who is it, Ganon?" a girl's voice asked.

"It's the dweeb from yesterday, Veran." He answered.

Suddenly, the girl with long black hair and red highlights appeared in front of me, eyeing me intently. "Well, he looks like a dork to me." She snickered evilly. I raised a brow, but couldn't do anything but keep silent.

"Where are Onox, Zant, Mido and Vaati?" Ganondorf asked. I figured they were the other members of his gang.

"In our corner." She replied absently.

"Call them."

"Can do."

With that, I heard Veran's footsteps as she ran away. I was left alone with Ganondorf.

"So, fairy boy." He snickered at my pet name. My eyes narrowed. "The first rule of Hyrule High is to NEVER EVER cross paths with Ganondorf and his gang." He chuckled darkly. "Then, the second rule is to never be alone when you do." He lifted me up easily and started moving towards the wall. Damn, was I THAT light?

Once he got there, he pushed me against the wall roughly, releasing my twisted arm. I wish I could rub it, but I was in a bad position.

Ganondorf then chuckled darkly. "Then, the third rule is to always expect your monthly beating, weekly if you get in my favour." He grinned. My eyes narrowed. "And lucky for you, yesterday's encounter with Zelda moved you to the top of my favourites list." He laughed briefly. I rolled my eyes as I heard people running towards us. I saw Ganondorf turn in the paces' direction.

Soon, his friends arrived. I eyed them over once more. Now that I was close, I realized they were all almost as tall as Ganondorf. The blond one and the purple haired one only got to my size, a bit more, if not that.

"And fourth rule is to never fight back, unless you wanna make it worse. So be a good boy and don't scream." Ganondorf sneered cruelly as he finally let go of my mouth.

I started coughing, gasping for the air that had been deprived from me for so long. "I won't scream. I'm not a sissy like you, Ganondorf." I countered with a low voice.

"Now you're just spreading oil on fire. Hasn't your mom told you to never play with fire?" Veran laughed. My gaze dropped. For the moment, that was the only thing that hurt me deep inside. Of course, they didn't know I didn't have a mom or dad. Good thing they didn't either, they'd use it against me.

Seeing as I wasn't replying, Ganondorf snickered. "Boys." He used a hand to snap his fingers. I used the moment to try and struggle out, but come on, the guy was WAAAAY too strong!

Soon though, I felt the strong hands of his 'friends' holding my own, pressed against the wall. Ganondorf finally let go, cracking his knuckles instead. I gulped down nervously, looking up at him. In the darkness of the morning, with the sun still barely shining, I could only see a lethal flame light up in his eyes. As he moved to examine his 'prey', commonly known as 'Link', also known as 'goddamn, it's me, I'm so gonna die', the rising sun's rays danced on his dark orange hair, and the flame in his eyes grew and shrank depending on his position. Then, choosing the 'ideal position to beat the shit outta me', he stopped, glaring murderously at me.

"Don't look so nervous, fairy boy! Take it as a welcome gift! Everyone in this school got it. You're no exception." He laughed darkly. I cringed and closed my eyes. Thankfully, I've been hurt worse before, so I know how to handle a simple punch. Okay, okay, okay. Thinking of Sheik, Dark, Mikau, Darmani, Zelda, teachers, even my unc-FUCK!

My thoughts were cut short when a fist came crashing into my stomach, cutting my air supply short. I closed my eyes in pain and coughed, gasping for air. Then, I felt my eyes. Nothing.

"Hmm… That's weird…" Ganondorf frowned as he punched me again.

I coughed again, this time accompanied by a slight trail of blood. I knew this was getting dangerous. I had to act now.

"Why won't you cry, goddamn?" he cursed.

I lifted my eyes to level with his gaze. "I don't cry easily." I whispered, knowing I was playing with fire. But I needed him to come closer if I was to make my escape.

Instead, he punched me again. I felt the first tears prick my eyes, but I easily swallowed them back down.

"Cry goddamn! Cry!" he ordered as he punched again.

It hurt so much I lost track of how many times he had punched me. And every time, I coughed up more and more blood. I had to run. "You punch like a girl." I aggravated him even more, purposefully.

To my relief, this time, he advanced and grabbed my neck, pushing me against the wall. His fingers were still a bit loose around it, but one forceful squeeze, and he'd lock me up in the darkness of death forever. He's not THAT mad, is he? Please tell me he isn't... Okay, but till now, everything is going as planned. Then, his face closed up on mine with a menacing sneer, teeth bared. "Rule number bonus. Never aggravate me. It's for your own good." He said, winding up for a punch in the face.

That's when I acted. I gathered all the bloody spit in my mouth and spat right in his face. With a cry of surprise, he leaned up, giving me a quick access to when I was aiming for. With a rough movement, my foot came up and made contact with a very tender area. Ganondorf fell to the ground on his knees, cursing me violently.

As for his friends, who were holding me down, I only waited until they became shocked enough to loosen their grip a little. That's when I jerked my left arm free, and punched the guy holding my right arm to make him let it go. And once free, I rolled under the legs of the brown haired boy who was blocking my way, and ran for the inside.

Behind me, I could hear the cries and calls of Ganondorf's group of friends. But I kept running anyway. Once to the door, I quickly swung it open and ran inside. It should be around six by now, so it wouldn't be smart to get face to face with a student with all this blood dripping from the corner of my mouth. Speaking of that, it would be a problem…

With those thoughts, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, and finally got to my door. Hastily pulling out my keys, I opened the door and swung it open violently, also slamming it shut later. Then, taking deep breaths, I leaned against it, trying to calm down.

When I opened my eyes though, I realized Sheik and Dark were looking incredulously at me as they got ready to wear their clothes. Sheik stopped in the middle of tying his shoes to look at me, and Dark's shirt fell from his fingers, leaving him with a bare torso. I nervously waved, but I don't think it comforted them.

"DUDE!"

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?"

"YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

"GODDAMN, LINK!"

They both dropped what they were doing and ran for me, their usual worried look in their eyes. I chuckled nervously, putting a hand on my stomach to try and stop the growing pain, and another on the door to try and support myself.

"Oh Goddesses, what did you do?" Sheik asked as he tilted my chin up to see the blood trickling down the corner of my mouth.

"Where were you this morning?" Dark asked, running to go get a wet cloth from the bathroom.

I chuckled again, trying to subdue the growing pain in my stomach. Wonder if Ganondorf dislocated an organ or anything… Naw, I would be dead by now if he did. "Guys…?" I asked with a strained voice, trying to smile.

"Yeah?" came the collective reply from both boys.

"Remind me to never go out on my own again." with that, my legs gave out under me and I crumpled into a heap on the floor, clutching my stomach painfully. I then coughed, splattering a little bit of blood on the wooden floor.

"Oh my God DARK GET THE FUCKING TOWEL ALREADY!" I heard Sheik cry out in horror.

"I'M TRYING, GODDAMN! I'M TRYING! I CAN'T FIND ANY TOWELS! WE USED THEM ALL YESTERDAY!" came the horrified reply.

"Use this one, goddamn!" I heard the sound of running water as I coughed again, splattering more blood in the same spot as before. "Oh, and watch out for where he coughed. I'll get a mop and disinfectant to clean that up!" Sheik called as I felt someone's fingers tilt my chin up. I closed my eyes though, because I didn't wanna see their expressions. They cared too much. I wasn't worth it.

"Okay, I can't work like this. Link, come and sit down on the bed, it'll be much easier." Dark suggested as he grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I nodded emptily and headed over to my bed, when I plopped myself down again. Hey, I'm still human, ain't I? "Okay, now tell me what happened." He encouraged. I felt someone else sit down next to me as I felt a new weight on my bed. Guess it's Sheik.

"Well, I was kinda awake early… So I got up and went for a coffee." I winced as the cold towel was applied against my chin, rubbing off all the old and new blood. "So yeah, stepped out and was unlucky enough to be caught by Ganondorf." I coughed again, carefully avoiding coughing on Dark as I brought my hand up to my mouth.

"So he beat the shit outta you?" Sheik guessed the rest.

"Yeah. Punched me in the stomach until I found an opening to escape." I chuckled darkly.

The two boys immediately stopped. "He let you go?" Sheik asked, incredulous.

I frowned. "No, of course not. At that rate, he would have beaten the life out of me, so I decided to take action. Long story short, I kicked him where it hurts the most." I shrugged.

The towel abruptly fell out of Dark's hand, and Sheik's mouth dropped open. "You…?"

"I kicked him where it hurts the most…" I innocently told them again.

They suddenly burst out laughing. Dark fell to the floor, rolling and laughing while Sheik tried to dry his tears.

"What I do?" I asked, innocently cocking my head to the side.

Through his tears, Sheik clapped me on the shoulder. "You are now an honorary member of the anti-Ganondork club! Welcome!" he greeted between laughs.

I raised a brow. "What's that all about?" I inquired.

Dark lifted himself from the floor, still laughing. "What, you think you're the only one who's ever tried to stand up to Ganondorf and ended up kicking him down there?" he laughed.

I cracked a brief smile. "Ganondorf said everyone in the school had gotten the same treatment…" I recalled.

Sheik cracked a wry grin, drying the last of his tears. "Yeah, well a bunch of us also gave him back what he deserved." Sheik punched the knuckles Dark was extending.

It was Dark's turn to bear a grin. "And we call ourselves the Dark Rebels of Hyrule High." He extended his knuckles. I punched them absently. "Welcome to the club, buddy." He smiled.

I looked at him confusedly. "Thanks?" I asked.

"Yeah. Only I, Dark, Mikau and Darmani are part of this 'club'. And now you. Basically, it's a club joining in whoever has escaped from Ganondorf and given him a piece of their mind." Sheik chuckled.

"Sweet." I chuckled, suddenly interrupted by a cough of blood.

"That's gonna be a problem. Take your shirt off, I'll go get some ice." Sheik sighed, heading for the mini bar at the side of the room, next to Dark's bed.

I raised a brow but didn't question it. Apparently, these guys had been trained in first aid, so I didn't bother asking. Instead, I took off my shirt and waited for Sheik to come back with the ice.

During that time, though, Dark started poking the green stud piercing I had on my belly button. "You have a belly button piercing? That's coooool!" he exclaimed, still poking the piercing.

I chuckled. "Yep. Had it pierced to show my uncle I would be a rebel and not listen to everything he wanted me to do." I grinned proudly.

"Seriously! Your mom let you do it? What about your dad? What did he say?" Dark inquired curiously.

My face immediately fell. "Well… Thing is…" I sighed sadly. "My dad died before I was born, my mom died giving birth to me, I was left to my uncle and aunt. Then, at my sixth year of age, my aunt died, so I lived with my uncle until now." I briefly explained.

The two boys froze. "Oh… I'm sorry…" Dark apologized quickly.

I smiled. "Naw, it's okay." I chuckled.

"Kay…" Sheik agreed unconvincingly, giving me the ice pack he held. "Lemme see where he punched you." He ordered. I rolled my eyes but pointed low on my stomach. His eyes were met with the bluish-black skin on my stomach. "Oh my Goddesses…" he gasped. "Dude, what did you do to anger him so much?" he inquired, giving me the ice pack.

I smiled and took it, putting it against my bruised skin. "Ouch. I don't know. All I did yesterday was steal his place in science next to Zelda." I shrugged.

The two boys chuckled again. "That explains it. It's not a mystery that Ganondorf has a huge crush on Zelda. He'd do anything to get with her. So now, you're probably his number one target." Dark sighed melodramatically.

"Shut up, I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself." I grinned back.

"Yep. That's why your two best friends are here, wiping blood off your chin and telling you to hold an ice pack to your abs. And you're lucky you didn't get internal bleeding, the nurse's office isn't even open at this hour. If I imagined the situation right, I still can't believe you absorbed such a strong punch." Sheik chuckled. "Oh, and you're as thin as a blade of grass. Don't you think you should eat anything?" he asked, concerned.

I rolled my eyes. "What are you, my mom?" I asked rhetorically.

I guess they saw I wasn't uncomfortable speaking of my late parents, because they laughed. "Sorry, it's a habit. Besides, you're one of us now. And we all gotta stick together and help each other." Sheik told me.

"You're being too melodramatic, Sheik." Dark rolled his eyes.

"Shut up and keep wiping, it's already seven o' clock."

"Oh Gods, I kept you guys that long? I am so sorry, I must be a huge waste of time."

"No Link, shut up, unless you want Sheik to make his speech about 'standing up together and helping each other' all over again."

"HEY!"

My pain must have flown away because all I could feel right then was the fuzzy feeling that I was loved.

---

And who knew we'd make it on time to class?

Of course, holding our breakfast in our hands as we ran inside, but hell, at least we made it.

So as Dark and Sheik sat down with Zelda, Tetra and their orange haired friend at their table, I headed for the teacher, who was lost in her book, reading intently.

"Miss?" I asked with a sweet smile. "I'm the new student here. I was just wondering if I could sit with Dark and Sheik."

"Yeah." She absently waved, drawn into her book too much. I looked at her. She was wearing a purple blouse and a long tight grey skirt. Her hair was short and curly, black with growing tints of grey. Her glasses were dark blue, square and simple. Typical bookworm…

I smiled in triumph as I gave a thumbs up to Dark and Sheik, heading for them. Once there, I put my bag next to Sheik, at the right end of the table, and sat down, looking at the others on the table.

Tetra was doodling idly, Zelda was playing with her fingernails absently and the orange haired girl was reading.

I turned to Sheik and leaned on his ear. "Who's the orange haired girl?" I asked.

"That? That's Midna. Toughest girl in the entire school, along with Tetra, and a bit with Zelda. We call them the tomboy princesses." He whispered, chuckling.

"Cool. Thanks." I smiled as the bell rang, and the teacher stood up, leaving her book.

"Good morning students. Today, we'll be working on a human body's proportions. So I will ask everyone to pair up with a student at their table, then I will explain the work to do." The teacher's last words were drowned out as the students screamed around, trying to pair themselves up with a friend at their table.

"I'm drawing Sheik!" Dark exclaimed.

"I'm drawing Dark!" Sheik countered.

I blushed, looking at the other side of the table. Midna and Tetra were laughing together, and Zelda was…

Oh Goddesses, she was looking towards me, her crystal blue eyes peering into mine.

Come on, Link! It's rude to stare! I shook my head and got up, heading for her. "I don't have a partner… Umm… Wanna be with me?" I asked politely.

She smiled and nodded energetically. "Love to." She grinned.

"Great." I laughed as I brought my chair and put it next to Zelda's chair.

The teacher regained the silence gradually, and once the class had shut up, she smiled. "Okay. So this is going to be our newest project. First, we will all draw our partners in a pose. Then, when we are done with the details and shadings, we will head to the computer lab and find ourselves pictures of anything you'd like, and print them out. Then, the main project is a collage. You'll have to dress up your picture by cutting out the magazines or pictures you printed, and in the end, it'll give something like this." The teacher brandished up the picture of a girl dressed in a colourful skirt and shirt that was obviously made from cut out parts of a magazine. Everything, from her hair, to skin, to eyes, to shoes, to dress and all, was made of magazine cut-outs.

"Ooooooh…." The entire class commented, soon beginning to laugh after that.

"You will start by drawing your partner in a pose. For now, just do the outline, and be sure to respect the proportions. Go!" the teacher laughed as the entire class started bustling around. Large pieces of white paper were distributed, and I took out my sketching pencil while they were brought.

"Link…?" I heard Zelda call.

I turned to her with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Do you wanna start drawing me? I'm not such a good artist…" she blushed, chuckling.

I chuckled along. "Okay. What pose should I draw you in?" I asked.

She wondered for a moment, and stood up, turning herself halfway while her leg was left behind, as well as her arm. A very graceful position, I might add, that revealed all her features. Her sparkling eyes, her golden hair, her graceful curves, her amazing smile... And her spirit was so courageous, wild and free while respecting her limits. For example, it was amazing how she defended me yesterday at the science lab. We barely even knew each other, and she stood up for me. It was so cool, it felt like she was the only one who truly accepted me. Well, asides from Dark and Sheik, but it didn't feel like the same kind of acceptance between my friends and Zelda. She was much more...

Oh Goddesses, what am I thinking? I bit my lip, but smiled. "Perfect. Now just stand still." I ordered.

She nodded, but did as I asked her to. "Are you sure? Isn't this pose a bit too hard to draw?" she asked.

"No, it's perfect." I smiled as I started sketching her.

But as much as I excelled in drawing, my drawing could never equal her real beauty and purity.

---

"Okay students, the bell's gonna ring, please take your drawings, write your name, and the name of your partner under it, and bring it to the front." The teacher said as she stopped us. By then, I was adding the details on Zelda's shirt.

"Link, we're done. Can I move yet?" she giggled.

I blushed. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry, go ahead." I chuckled sheepishly, putting my pencil away.

She advanced for me and peered at my drawing. "Can I see it?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Yeah but… it's not… THAT good…" I half-smiled, stuttering and blushing madly since our faces were so close to each other. Oh Gods, what's happening to me?

She smiled nonetheless and snatched my drawing gently. Her eyes widened in something I couldn't discern and a hand flew up to cover a gasp.

"Is it THAT bad?" I asked, cocking my head to the sides.

She put the drawing down, revealing a beautiful smile on her face. "Are you MAD? THIS IS THE BEST DRAWING I'VE EVER SEEN!" she exclaimed.

"It's not THAT good…" I kept on saying. What? She was much prettier in real life! It's tru- what? Guess Ganondorf's punches messed up more than just my stomach, they also messed up my mind and feelings. Why am I heating up all of a sudden?

"Yes it is. Now write your name, you'll continue next class." She chuckled.

I grinned sheepishly and grabbed the paper, writing my name and last name under it. Then, I turned to Zelda. "What's your last name anyway?" I chuckled, embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry." She blushed. "Harkinian. H-A-R-K-I-N-I-A-N." she spelled it out, with a smile.

"Thanks." I blushed, finishing up her last name with a curved letter and handing it out to the guy who was collecting the papers. Only then, I realized I had done a curved letter.

Nice way to keep your feelings at bay, Link. Why am I feeling this way towards Zelda? I just met her!

My thoughts were broken when Sheik nudged me. "Hey come on. Stop daydreaming, we got Hylian class to catch." He reminded me, pointing towards the door.

"Right, sorry. Just lost in my thoughts." I hurriedly put my things in my bag, missing the awkward stare they were throwing at me.

---

"Vina minazi kímilo.i ekk kímino.i:" the teacher greeted in Hylian as she stepped inside.

"Vina minazi kúzino.i Kotake:" we all greeted back in a monotone voice.

The teacher chuckled. "Good! I see you have retained a bit of what you learned by the end of last year. And I see we have a new student as well! Bënkati, kuzoh.i Gaiden:" she laughed.

I smiled. "Aroti, shúlino.i Rova:" I laughed in Hylian.

"Daná.í:" she replied, then turning to the confused class. "You'd better take your comrade's example! He wasn't here last year, but at least he knows the basics. Now, can I have someone to recite me the forty-seven letters of the Hylian alphabet? Any volunteers" she asked.

No one lifted their hands. I chuckled under my breath.

"Very well then. Why doesn't kuzoh.i Gaiden step up and tell us? With the accents and combinations of sounds as well, please." she pointed at me.

I blushed. Why was she so intent on making me say everything? Nonetheless, I stepped up and recalled the Hylian alphabet. Once done, I started reciting the letters in order. "akte, akte asënta, äkte, äkte asënta, , asënta…" I recited, pausing at every few letter to remember what it was called.

Okay, so Hylian is my second language. Who says I can't speak it with the correct accent, hunh? No one. I'm actually pretty good. This is gonna be a fun class.

---

After Hylian, we had lunch. Lunch was silent, except for Dark and Sheik teasing me on how I spoke Hylian.

"Akte! Akte asënta!" Dark laughed.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, come on! Hylian is the second most used language in Hyrule! It might have been lost for a few centuries now, but that doesn't mean it's not functional anymore." I argued.

Dark kept laughing though. "But it sounds so weird! Ute, ute asënta! I mean, seriously! It sounds so irregular!" he mocked amiably.

I smirked. Time to show them REAL Hylian words, in that case. "Aktajhá, you guys. You're just a bunch of vene shi dokwag tonye shi amkanag kisamën." I laughed.

They both stopped and looked at me incredulously. "Did you just insult us in Hylian?" Dark asked, eyes wide in astonishment.

"Sure did!" I told them between laughs.

"COOOOL! WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sheik screamed, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

"Trust me." I cracked them a wry grin. "You don't wanna know!" and I started laughing again.

---

So after the lunch episode, we had gym. Also one of my strong points. And take a guess at what activity were doing this semester.

"Well, I hope all of you are in shape, because it's fencing time!" our gym teacher, Sir Viscen, laughed, throwing a wooden sword into the crowd of students. Unfortunately, Ganondorf caught it. "What an honour! Sir Dragmire, please come to the front." The teacher motioned to Ganondorf.

Grunting in annoyance, and shooting me glares that could kill, he advanced and stopped next to the teacher.

"Hmm?" he inquired impolitely.

The teacher seemed to ignore it. "Well, Ganondorf. Since you were lucky enough to catch the sword, then you get to choose your opponent!" he laughed heartily again.

All the students started bustling. Only Sheik, Dark and I froze.

Isn't it obvious who he's gonna choose?

"Gaiden, come here." He called with a wry smirk. I threw him back the smirk, but sighed. I am so dead.

"Good luck buddy." Sheik clapped my shoulder.

"You can do it Link!" Dark encouraged me as he pushed me forward. Grumbling under my breath, I stumbled in front of the teacher.

"How lucky for you, Link! You get to go up against our school's undefeated champion of fencing! Let's see if we'll get another champion soon enough!" he laughed, handing me a wooden sword as well. Then, he backed up. "Now, for your safety, promise not to harm each other on purpose. These cannot kill, or cut, so just be careful, alright?" he warned us.

We both nodded, but I felt like Ganondorf wasn't very sincere about his nodding. I gulped down nervously, but kept it to myself.

"Are you ready?" the teacher asked, moving away. The student group moved to the stadium seats made to watch a fencing match as they cheered for their own hero.

The cheers for Ganondorf were deafening, but thanks to my sharp hearing, I caught four voices cheering: "Let's go Gaiden, let's go!" and "Kick his sorry ass, Link!" and stuff like that.

I chuckled, not needing to look to guess to whom those voices belonged to. Instead, I concentrated on Ganondorf as we clashed blades.

"En garde." He warned, right before he lunged, missing me by just a few inches as I dodged.

"Thanks for warning me." I muttered as I rolled backwards to dodge another strike.

Okay, so maybe he was strong and muscled, but I was small and agile, and fairly muscled. As in balanced. And I'd use his slow pace as an advantage.

---

After a while, I lost track of time, both Ganondorf and I were exhausted, panting as we stopped to catch our breaths. This morning's punching session actually weakened me a lot, but for the sake of my later physical condition as well as my pride, I had to keep going. I might be putting myself in danger here, but I swear I'll get Ganondorf back for deliberately mistaking me with a punching bag.

Anyway, he was the first to lunge as I dodged sideways, bringing my wooden sword down on his arm.

The sword crashed down with all the strenght I had left, leaving Ganondorf without a sword. I was about to win when he abruptly turned around, elbowing my stomach, sending me flying backward, crashing on my stomach. This morning's bruises came back to me, and I choked a cry of pain. Dear Farore, I have no idea why I don't have internal bleeding right now!

I stayed there, panting for a while, until I rolled forward and jumped up, wielding my sword once more. The crowd started cheering again. I realized Ganondorf was now very close to me.

And the flurry of blows also came again. I dodged and blocked whenever I could, and every time I locked swords with him, no matter how hard I pushed, he always kept winning because of his sheer strenght. And that's how he pushed me away, threw me to the ground, and while I was busy rolling to stop my fall, he pushed a foot on my abs (GODDAMN, OW, MY FUCKING BRUISED STOMACH, GANONDORK!), pinning me down as he pointed his sword at my face.

"It's over." He simply stated, too busy laughing to realize the hand I was wielding my sword with was right behind his leg.

I growled as I gave him a wry smirk. "Not yet, Ganondork." I laughed, hitting the back of his knee full force with my sword. He pushed a cry of surprise and his knees buckled under him, leaving me loose to roll away, jump behind him and finish him off with a hit in the back.

Losing his balance, he crashed to the ground as I landed in a sitting position over him, one hand holding his wrists together as the other held a sword to the back of his neck.

"Now, it's over." I smiled sweetly, covering up the pride that was flaring inside me.

"And ten seconds on the ground!" I heard the teacher call. "Link is the winner!" he headed for us and helped us both up. Then, he held my hand up. "And also Hyrule High's newest sword fighting champion!" he cheered.

The crowd of students whooped and hollered, but above all, I realized my friends were partying. I laughed and smiled at them.

"Now be good sports and shake hands." The teacher told us.

I extended my hand, and Ganondorf took it reluctantly, shaking it roughly. "It was nice sparring with you, Ganondorf." I smiled.

He let go of my hand, growling low under his breath. "I'll get you back. You're as good as dead, Gaiden." He threatened.

I didn't really mind, so instead, I answered in the same tone as he used. "And I'll be waiting."

Gritting his teeth, he turned away, walking for his gang of friends. After saluting the teacher, I walked for mine, enduring the many pats on the back as I advanced through the crowd of students.

Once there, to my group, Dark jumped on me and hugged me. I stood frozen, but by now, I had gotten used to my best friend's weird customs.

Sheik then took his turn congratulating me. "Oh dear DIN, THAT WAS AWESOME!" he exclaimed, patting my back.

Mikau then advanced, putting a hand on my shoulder. "How'd you do that?" he asked, thoroughly interested.

"Yeah!" Darmani piped in. "That was amazing! And those were some cool moves!" he commented.

I chuckled sheepishly. "I don't know, I've always been good at dodging hits." I chuckled darkly at the second sense only I knew of. "And I'm very flexible and agile. Coupled with watching too many video games, I guess this is the result." I grinned proudly.

Dark, still stuck on me, finally piped up. "Yeah, they should put you in Super Mash Bros Tourney, or something! I bet you could whoop anyone's ass in there!" he cheered, laughing.

"Holy shit, I need a poster of you to stick up on my wall." Sheik mused out loud.

We all started laughing as we walked down the hallway. Classes were over for us, but Mikau and Darmani, who were signed up on another schedule, had other classes now. So we parted at the H4 staircase, and they moved up as we continued forward.

That's when Sheik grabbed Dark, who was still glomping me, might I add, and pulled him away from my back. "Come on, Dark. If you continue glomping Link, people will think Hyrule High's new fencing champion is gay." He warned.

We all started laughing. "Hey! I'm not gay!" Dark protested.

"You sure aren't trying hard to prove it." I grinned, causing the boys to laugh again.

"Come on, it was just one glomp!"

"You stuck to him for fifteen minutes straight."

"Wow, how does that prove that I'm gay, hunh?"

"Dark, I'm really starting to question your sexuality now…"

"Stop it. I like girls, and girls only."

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

"Come on, you guys." I groaned at their friendly quarrel. "You can continue on the way back to our room. I don't know about you, but I'm pooped." I muttered tiredly.

They both stopped, blowing raspberries at each other and staying silent as we silently made our way to our room.

---

Opening the door with my key, I let them inside, then closed it. Then, I merrily strode in, still proud of my win.

Once at my bed, though, I plopped down tiredly. "I'm so tired…" I groaned, the pain from this morning's punching bag session coming back.

"Cheer up. Tomorrow's Saturday. We'll go out to town and relax." Sheik suggested.

"Sounds fun." I commented, half asleep.

"Come on, don't sleep yet. At least brush your teeth, or something." Dark called from the bathroom.

"I am, I am. Just gimme some time. My stomach still hurts." I chuckled tiredly.

"You sure you're okay with that? No misplaced organs, or anything?" Sheik asked from behind me.

"Naw, I'm pretty sure everything's in its place." I smiled sarcastically.

Sheik laughed then waved dismissively. "Kay, kay, fine."

I laughed, then remembered Dark's words. "Hey, Dark, you said you were only interested in girls. Which girl?" I smirked deviously.

Dark's head popped out of the bathroom door, worried, but excited as well.

"If I tell you, you'll keep it a secret, right?" he asked.

"Promise." I smiled.

"Swear to all three Goddesses." Sheik backed up.

"Okay then." Dark bit his lip, then smiled. "That Midna chick. She's so fucking hot, I can barely believe it." He sighed dreamily.

"Well, secret's safe with me." I swore.

"Same here." Sheik promised.

"Cool. I knew I could count on you guys." He smiled, then turned to me. "Hey Link. Now all you gotta do is get bitten by Zelda, and all three of us will officially be in love with the Tomboy Princesses." He smirked.

I blushed. Love? Could it be that I loved Zelda, and that's why I acted weird around her? I looked at my friends. They had told me without hesitation about their love life… Why shouldn't I…?

I took a deep breath, and shakily answered. "Dark… I think I am in love with her." I barely whispered.

All activity in the room stopped. The running water in the bathroom suddenly shut off, and Sheik's movements' sounds stopped.

I took a deep breath and continued, pulling my knees up to my face. "It just feels so weird… I've never felt like this before… I always find that she's beautiful, and that her voice is enchanting. I feel warm and loved whenever I'm close to her, and enjoy every word I share with her. I shudder every time she says my name, and feel all happy inside when I pronounce hers. I have this pulling feeling to make her happy, because when she smiles, no matter what happens to me, I smile as well." I sighed, burying my face in my knees, circling my arms around them, putting my back against the wall. "I don't know what's happening to me…" I felt my heart lurch uncomfortably, dreading their reaction.

A silent wind blew through the room. Suddenly, Sheik shook his head, and Dark stepped out of the bathroom, both looking at me incredulously.

"Dude…" Sheik's raspy voice broke the pounding silence.

"The love doctor has just made your diagnosis…" Dark cut in.

"And? What's so screwed up in me, doctor?" I asked, not knowing if I should dread the answer or be excited for it.

"You're in love with Miss Harkinian." Both boys said together, laughing as they high fived each other.

"How is that funny? If Ganondorf finds out, he'll skin me alive, then rip me to shreds!" I screamed, frustrated.

"Hey, no one said Ganondorf had to find out. Besides, if Zelda shares those feelings, she'll protect you from him. And even if he does find out, we'll be there for you. If not, you did it once, and you're amazing, so I'm sure you can kick his ass again." Sheik reasoned.

My heart fluttered a bit. He's right. I wasn't alone in this. "Kay… Thanks… That really made me feel better…" I sighed happily.

"Cool. So now, all three of us have our eyes on the Princesses. So what's the game plan?" Dark asked.

Thankfully, I was good with plans. I took out a paper with a wry grin, and also a pencil. Then, I put them both on the metal desk, pulled a chair, and started writing.

"Okay guys. Here's the plan." I called them over. They both curiously moved to my side. "So. The dance for all the secondary three students is next Tuesday, right?" I asked. They both nodded. "Good." I wrote it down. "So, we all know how girls act up too much on invitation cards, right?" I grinned deviously. They nodded again. "So all we do is send them a riddled invitation card, written on the computer so they won't recognize our handwriting, with a bunch of hearts to mask our identity. Then, we just sit back and watch their reactions during class." I grinned as I drew down my plan on the paper.

The two boys studied my plan for a while, then cracked a grin. "Sounds perfect." Sheik commented.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Dark laughed.

"Cool." I folded the paper and put it under a pile of papers on the desk. "This is gonna be top secret, promise?" I asked.

"Deal."

"Cool."

"Kay then! We send them out tomorrow, soldiers. So now get ready. Tomorrow's mission is gonna be our most perilous mission ever. So get some rest soldiers. You might never get it again." I warned them sarcastically in a deep, army-commandant type voice.

They both laughed and saluted army-style before finishing up their cleaning and jumping into bed. I chuckled and flicked the lights off soon after. Then, quickly brushing my teeth and changing into my green pyjamas, I also jumped into bed.

"Good night, soldiers. It may be the last one you get." I laughed in the same deep voice as before.

"SIR YES SIR!" came my two best friends' voices.

"I love you guys. Good night." I laughed.

"Good night, Link." came the reply.

I chuckled, and closed my eyes. Even if my stomach still hurt where I had been used as a punching bag this morning, and my heart was thumping wildly, fuelled with adrenaline, I finally closed my eyes and gave up to darkness, but not without thinking of her first.

I can't believe I'm in love with Zelda.

*************************

**Author Notes:**

**It's the cliché love scene X3 *spoilers* they'll carry on with their plan, but everything will go terribly wrong, and the girls will immediately find out who they are XD *end of spoilers* Thankfully, it's next chapter, so the ZeLink officially starts next chappie X3**

**Ok, Hylian class :D So basically, Hylian was a long lost language throughout the ages, until the goverment decided to bring it back up as Hyrule's second language. So all the schools include Hylian. And yes, all the words pronounced in Hylian are real, and have real meanings in real life Hylian :) There's this site called Kasuto(dot)net and it has the option of Hylian language ^_^ I used the Hylian-English dictionnary there to make up my sentences, since I'm still a novice at Hylian :) Yes, I am such a dweeb that I decided to learn Hylian X3 It's so fucking hard! TT__TT DX**

**Oh, and PS: You seriously don't wanna know what Link said in Hylian during lunch break X3 If you really do, then send me a signed review. Then, I'll tell you, and I won't say it here because it's extremely vulgar. But hey, kids these days... *doesn't take into account she's almost the same age as Link and co* they know so many things they shouldn't know.**

**So yeah. If you approximatively guess what the teacher, Kotake Rova, said, and what the students replied, I'll give you a cameo. It's very simple. Just think. You can always cheat and go search it up on kasuto(dot)net, but hey, do what you want ^^; Hint: Kotake is her first name, Rova is her last name, and Gaiden is Link's last name. Think of the titles you put in front of each ^_^**

**Okay then. Tomorrow's their 'suicide' mission XD I'm gonna have too much fun writing it :)**

**And Ganondorf got his ass whooped! woot! XD In the typical battle of good versus evil! X3 Ha, Link got him back for using him as a punching bag in the morning. What? I had to give Link a reason to become the unnofficial leader of the "Dark Rebels of Hyrule High!" XD Isn't that the awesomest name ever for a gang? It's cool isn't it? XD**

**Oh, and speaking of gang, no one got the people in Ganondorf's gang right last chappie :( Sorry you guys, but thanks for trying :) Better luck next time ;)**

**So yeah... hope this chappie was okay ^_^ Seeya later, you guys :D Please review ^_^**


	4. Day 4: Melodies and Missions

**Author Notes:**

**YAAAAAYZ! :D My stupid annoying-ass cousin (and sister XP) wouldn't let me finish this, but it's finally here! WEEEEEEE!!! While I dance around, you read, k? Thanks :D **

**So yeah, I loved this chapter, it was very sweet to write X3 You'll see what I mean :D Oh, and it was also very fun to write, towards the end XD You'll also see what I mean :)**

**Enjoy ;)**

***********************

I was roughly pulled awake by someone shaking my shoulders.

"Hey commandant! Today's the day! Day X!" Dark's excited voice reached my ears.

"Good job soldiers. Now let the commandant sleep, day X is also a Saturday, might I add." I chuckled, closing my eyes again.

Unfortunately, Dark wasn't intent on letting me sleep. "Come on Link! It's Saturday! We're gonna go out to town, then carry on with our suicide mission!" he laughed.

I groaned and gave up, moving up into a sitting position. "I'm awake, soldier. Stop shaking me, goddamn." I laughed lazily.

"Good." Dark laughed and let me go.

I looked at Sheik's bed, realizing it was empty. I lazily yawned, getting up. Come on, I wasn't a Prince here. I had to adapt to my friends' schedule as well.

Once up, I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a dark green shirt, quickly lacing a pair of running shoes as well. Then, as soon as I was ready, Sheik and Dark joined me, and, grabbing our wallets, we walked out.

"So how're we gonna get to town?" I asked, not having been out to town for as long as I remembered.

"Public transport. We can take the bus to town, or the train downtown. We would go downtown, but since we gotta get back to school early, we'll stick to the town shopping mall instead." Sheik explained as we walked to the main entrance.

There, the principal's secretary was waiting for us. She extended her hand when we got there. "Student ID." She demanded in the same bored tone the lunch lady had used the other day.

We all fumbled through our wallets and took out our student ID cards. She scanned them, then gave them back. "Secondary three, your curfew is at seven o' clock. Be here by then or you shall be penalized." She said, opening the gates at the front with the push of a button. "Have fun and be safe." She said it like she had said it a million times today.

Well, guessing from the number of students that seemed to be missing in the dorms, I guessed it was partially true.

So with a smile, I stepped out into the open world, following Dark and Sheik to the bus station.

---

We took a few buses, switching when they weren't going in our same direction anymore. Dark and Sheik had bus monthly passes, but I had to pay every time. They suggested buying a card. Guess that's what I'll do whenever I have time.

So after getting off the last bus we were supposed to take, I was momentarily blinded by the sun. Then, Dark grabbed my arm and pulled me away. I blindly followed until we were in a patch of shadows. There, I opened my eyes. I was met with a huge building with many advertisement posters up on it.

"And this is?" I asked, unfamiliar with the building.

Sheik chuckled and showed me to the front. "Welcome to Castle Town's very own Mega Mall." He motioned to the mall.

My eyes widened. "Ho-ly… crap." I muttered, jaws falling to the floor. I'd seriously never seen a mall this big before.

Goddamn, what have I missed these past nine years?

Oh wait. Obvious answer… uh… Everything?

"Okay… so… can we go yet?" I asked, barely restraining myself from jumping up and down like a girl would do when she saw the picture of her favourite star without his shirt.

Whoa. Waaay too many details.

"Yup. Let's go throw this place upside down!" Dark cheered, heading for the entrance. I followed, and Sheik closed the pace.

---

Inside, noticing my sparkling eyes that quickly wondered from store to store, Sheik piped up questioningly. "Yo, Link, you've never actually been to a mall, have you?" he asked, raising a brow.

I turned to him and chuckled sheepishly. "Not really." Seriously, all the flashing lights and colourful things behind the glass were almost too much to handle for a first time. Last time I went out for shopping, it was the boring old clothing store around the corner. And for, what… an hour, max? I had the entire day now!

"Be right back!" Dark suddenly ran into a sports clothing store. We both rolled our eyes and followed him in.

Inside, I was mesmerized by the different types of shirts, shoes, sports accessories, and all. Once we spotted Dark, though, we headed for him.

"Hey guys, what do you think of this shirt?" he asked, brandishing a black t-shirt with a shredded silver Triforce on it.

"I like it." Sheik commented.

"It'd go real good on you, Dark." I grinned.

"Really?" he asked, putting the shirt over him.

I looked at it for a moment, then nodded. "Hell yeah."

"SWEET!" he exclaimed, running for the cash register before anyone else got there.

Sheik and I followed behind him, laughing. A random question suddenly popped up in my mind. "Hey Sheik?" I called as we headed for Dark, who was paying.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning towards me.

"I noticed you guys weren't afraid of spending." I motioned to Dark, who was throwing his rupees on the counter happily.

"Yeah." He chuckled.

"Where'd you get the money from? You're always at school, so how'd you get that infinite source of money?" I asked.

"Oh, well, some of us, like Dark and I, get money sent to us by our parents." He shrugged. "Others, who don't receive allowances or anything, well, there's the option of working at the cafeteria on weekends." He explained. "While others spend their weekends working around town." He chuckled. "Mikau and Darmani actually work in this mall on Saturdays. We'll go visit them later, if you'd like." He suggested.

I fervently nodded. "I'd like to." I smiled.

He looked like he was about to reply, but Dark came and glomped him. "HEY! NOW WHERE TO?" he screamed cheerfully.

"One, get off me." Sheik rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Two, Link wants to go see Mikau and Darmani." He pointed outside as we all moved outside the store. "Three, I have no idea where they work." He chuckled sheepishly.

"I do! Follow me!" Dark jumped off of him as he pointed at an escalator going down. Then, he jumped on it, not waiting for us.

"You know where they work, don't you?" I asked, chuckling.

Sheik nodded with a wry grin. "Anything to get a break from him." He chuckled.

"You're so mean." I amusedly punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." He chuckled as he stepped out of the escalator, following Dark as we headed for Mikau's and Darmani's workplace.

---

"So they work in a music store, hunh?" I eyed the front of the store. Guitars, drums and different types of flutes were displayed. On top, the label 'Indigo-Go' was stuck. I realized it was the store's name.

"Yep. Come on in." Sheik nudged me, walking inside.

Inside, plenty of instruments, from a wide variety of guitars to huge drums, were set everywhere. I spotted Mikau and Darmani, walking for us, accompanied by Dark. The two boys had their uniforms on, pale blue shirts tucked inside dark navy pants.

"You look like dorks every time I see you." Sheik commented.

"Shut up unless you want me to throw you out." Mikau smirked.

"Wow." I only stuttered out.

All my friends laughed at my apparent awe at the store. It was a totally new concept.

"Hey, do you play any instruments?" Darmani asked, curious.

"Who, me?" I asked, snapping out of my awe.

"Naw, your mom." Mikau joked.

Dark and Sheik fell silent, but I kept smiling. "You wouldn't have said that if you knew I was an orphan, but I forgive you." I said, gulping the tears in my voice back down, hiding them under my smile.

"Oh, sorry!" Darmani and Mikau immediately stopped laughing, now apologizing.

"I said it's okay, just don't remind me again." I groaned.

"Kay, so what about my question? Do you play any instruments?" Darmani asked again.

"Well…" I recalled my memories. I suddenly snapped awake. In fact, I did… "Yeah, actually, I used to play and ocarina when I was young." I smiled.

"Ocarina? Cool! Can you show us?" Mikau asked.

"Umm... I don't have one…" I chuckled sheepishly.

"Hello! It's a music store! I'll go get one!" Darmani sped off towards the back. Before I had time to realize what was going on, Darmani was back with a very pretty blue ocarina with the Triforce drawn on the mouthpiece. He handed it to me with a smile. "I cleaned the mouthpiece. Now show us what you can do!" he exclaimed amusedly.

I smiled gratefully, taking it. Last time I'd played an ocarina, it was when I was seven… Wonder if I can do it again… I slowly brought the mouthpiece to my mouth, and blew a test blow. A pure, crystalline sound echoed in the air.

I suddenly remembered how to play. Everything came back to me as I put my fingers on the holes, and started blowing. My fingers danced on the holes as the sad melody that summarized my childhood came back to me. As I played it confidently, all my memories returned.

How my aunt would help me play it, then I'd surprise her with a song. How she'd call me in for dinner, and I didn't wanna stop playing, so I didn't eat. How she'd play joyful tunes when I was happy, sad when I needed comforting, soothing when I needed to sleep, active when I needed to cheer up… Every song I knew, that she and I played, had a special memory. Every song had its meaning.

The one I was unconsciously playing was the saddest of all, the same one I played over and over again in my room the day Auntie died. The same one that summarized how I felt. The one that peered deep into my soul, bringing out the emotions I'd hidden, bottled up inside my heart for so long.

This song was usually accompanied with a piano, one that my aunt would play while I played the ocarina. I could play it without the piano as well, fulfilling both roles with one instrument, but the fact that the background piano was missing made me realize that she wasn't here for me anymore.

Even if I'd never known my parents, she'd act like the mom I never had. She had a love for me like I had never felt before. It's not possible to imagine how devastated I was when my uncle announced she was sleeping forever. Like I said, this is the song I kept playing all day long, locked in my room. Sadness flowed over me as I played the last sad note of the song. The memories were painful. I remembered her smiling face. It was now all gone…

I miss you Auntie Impa…

"That was… beautiful…" Sheik commented in a low voice once I had finished.

I turned to him, smiling. "Thanks." For some reason, my voice was rattled, like I'd been…

"Dude, are you crying?" Dark asked, looking at my face.

I blushed, realizing that icy drops of salty water were running down my cheeks. With a nervous laugh, I waved dismissively as I wiped them away. "Naw, it's… nothing." I laughed, biting my lip to avoid letting loose any more. Stupid sad memories.

But I loved these 'stupid sad memories' a lot. And I'd keep them forever.

Turning to Mikau, who was listening silently, I dried the last of my tears and asked. "How much does it cost?"

"Eighty rupees." He rolled his eyes. "It's a replica of the legendary Ocarina of Time. Isn't it cool?" he chuckled.

Ocarina of Time indeed. It was very pretty, and it didn't feel like any other ocarina I'd played before. It's like this one was a part of my soul that'd been missing for so long now.

I took out my wallet. "I'll take it." I smiled.

With a triumphant grin, Mikau and Darmani headed for the cash register, entering the code for the ocarina. "You know, you're doing us a huge favour!" Darmani exclaimed once I put the ocarina delicately on the table.

"How?" I grinned.

"Ocarinas are barely played anymore. By buying one, you're gonna give us a huge raise!" he replied with a grin, high fiving Mikau.

"Well then, congrats." I smiled, putting the rupees on the counter. I then realized I had ten rupees left. I'd seriously have to get a job.

"Well, thanks for visiting 'Indigo-Go'! Come again!" Mikau smiled at us.

"You're paid extra to say that, aren't you?" Sheik smirked.

"Yeah I am. Two rupees an hour extra if I say it to every customer that leaves the store, whether he bought anything, or not." He grinned.

"Speaking of that, there's a customer you missed. He's going out right now." Darmani pointed towards someone who was exiting.

"Oh shit." Mikau jumped over the counter and ran for the man. "Thank you for visiting Indigo-Go! Come again!" he smiled, then when he was done, he headed back to us. We were all laughing our heads off. "What's so funny?" he asked, panting as he swung his legs over the counter again.

"One, you know the boss doesn't like us to jump over the counter. Two, you should've seen your face. It was so funny!" Darmani laughed.

"What? A bet with the boss is a bet with the boss! I get two rupees extra an hour if I say that to everyone!" he crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Yesh." Darmani rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and you're paid to greet everyone who comes in. You forgot Link and the gang." Mikau pointed out.

Darmani froze and looked around. "Did the boss notice?" he asked, looking towards a tall, muscled man in a pale blue blouse and black pants that was checking over the store activity.

"No, anyway, you talked so much with us, he probably thought you at least greeted us properly." Sheik commented.

"You're right." He sighed in relief. "Thanks." He chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, I'm hungry, we're going out for lunch. Seeya back at school, guys!" Dark grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the door. Sheik laughed, following.

"See you guys later!" Mikau and Darmani waved goodbye as we exited the door. Mikau stopped for a moment, then yelled out particularly high. "THANKS FOR SHOPPING AT INDIGO-GO'S! PLEASE COME AGAIN!"

Laughing our heads off, all three of us took the escalator back to the top, to the food court.

---

We spent some time in the food court, talking and discussing the plan for our mission while we ate, then walked around a bit. Sheik bought a couple of posters for his wall, buying me a poster of my favourite movie as well, called Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Action movie, don't ask.

But before I knew it, our time was up.

We were licking our ice cream cones when Sheik's watch alarm started ringing.

He pressed on the little snooze button, then turned to us with a huge grin. "Guys, it's time." He announced in a low, but deep voice.

"Oh no, we're all gonna die…" I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"Come on, commander! Move your butt! Let's get back to school!" Dark grinned, getting behind me and pushing me towards the exit.

"Okay, like planned, soldiers. The public bus will be here in fifteen minutes, so we gotta run to the bus stop. I'll explain more on the way there. GO GO GO!" I laughed.

They both saluted. "SIR YES SIR!" and ran off laughing.

I followed them as well, running behind them as we exited the mall at full speed.

---

The bus had just arrived when we made it to the bus stop. Dark and Sheik passed their cards and I paid my rupees, and we sat down, out of breath, but laughing. "Wheeeeeee! Part one of mission 'CTTPH' complete." Dark cheered.

"CTTPH? What does that stand for?" I asked, laughing.

"Come on, commander! You're the leader of this mission! Stands for 'Conquer the Tomboy Princesses' Hearts'!" Sheik laughed.

"Thanks for bringing me up to date." I muttered sarcastically.

"Kay! Bus stop! Gotta jump!" Dark noticed.

All three of us shot up from our seats and ran out the bus, running towards the next bus stop.

---

Soon, we jumped out of the last bus. Once outside, we stopped to catch our breath, and laughed, high fiving.

"PART 2 OF MISSION CTTHP IS A SUCCESS, COMMANDER!" Dark announced in a loud voice as we walked inside the school.

After scanning our identity cards to tell the secretary that we were back, we ran towards our room.

There, we put down all our things and grabbed the bag with everything we needed for the mission inside. After a few seconds, we slammed the door open and ran up the C3 staircase to get to the computer lab.

---

Once there, I took the last computer, the one closest to the one-side-viewable window of the recording room. That meant we couldn't see who was inside, but they could see us. We still took the chance though, and sat down there, immediately opening a typing document.

"Okay, so it's one paper for all three of us, and all three of our targets." I cleared up.

They both nodded. "Sir yes sir!" they saluted in a quiet voice.

"Good. Now stand watch, soldiers! We wouldn't want anyone to see what we're doing!" I winked.

They both laughed and posted themselves at my right (the window was at my left anyway) and in front.

"Okay, let's get typing!" I cheered. Their cheers joined mine as I started typing.

---

After a while, I was done. Smiling, I called the guys. "Yo guys, check this out!" I laughed, showing them the document.

They silently scoured through it, mouths gaping. "Dude, you're a natural poet!" Sheik complimented.

"Thanks. I'm kinda like a shape shifter. Artist when I feel like it, warrior when I feel like it." I smirked.

"Awesome! Now stop bragging and print! We gotta get this to our targets' foretress before they get back from wherever they are." Dark laughed.

I chuckled, pressing on the print button. Then, I closed the window without saving, and, with useless patterns of complicated ninja movements, my friends and I proceeded to the printer.

"You DID put in the pink paper, Dark, right?" I asked.

"Yes, commandant! There is one sheet of pink paper in it, as not to arouse suspicion, sir!" he whispered low with a smirk.

"Stop calling me that. Ah, here's the paper." I looked at the pink sheet that came out of the printer. Then, looking around with a suspicious eye, I nudged Sheik. "Binder, Major Sheik." I demanded.

He laughed and gave me a dark green binder with a skull head on it. "Here you go, Sir! I'll go keep watch!" he said, darting out the door.

I turned to Dark. "Major Dark."

"Shadow."

"Hunh?"

"We agreed on calling me Major Shadow, remember? To stay incognito?" he rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Alright, major 'Shadow'." I smirked. "Grab a pink envelope and bring it to me!" I ordered.

He saluted and jumped off towards the desk. Opening a drawer, I saw his brows furrow. "Commander Gaiden, we have a slight problem! There are no pink envelopes! There's only a purple envelope!" he whispered low.

"It'll do, Major Shadow. Now GO GO GO!" I rushed with a smile, even if this was a bit serious as a 'mission'. Of course, we were all overreacting.

He threw me the envelope. It flew through the air and landed in my open hand. I quickly took it, folded the pink paper neatly and put it inside the envelope. Using a black pen, I wrote 'To Midna, Zelda and Tetra' in curly letters that were so curved, they were barely readable. That's the point. It would have to confuse the girls on who's handwriting it was.

After I made sure everything was done, I licked the envelope shut, just as Sheik came running in.

"COMMANDER GAIDEN! WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM! ENEMY SPOTTED, HEADING OUR WAY!" he yelled form the other side of the room.

"Relax, men!" I ordered, seeing as Dark was also panicking. "Major Sheik! In which quadrant is the enemy?" I asked. Yes, we numbered the hallways and called them quadrants. We are officially stupid.

"Quadrant A8!" Sheik's shaky voice reached my ears.

A8… THAT'S THE HALLWAY RIGHT NEXT TO US!

"ALERT, ALERT, ENEMY HAS REACHED QUADRANT A9!" Sheik warned me.

Quadrant A9. Our same hallway. They were heading for us!

"LET'S MAKE OUR ESCAPE, BOYS! MOVE OUT! And be discreet!" I warned them. They both nodded and slipped out silently as I threw the purple envelope into my dark green binder and closed it. Right then, a student walked inside, looking at me.

"Hi, Gaiden!" he waved. I didn't know who it was, but I waved back to the blue-haired guy. He smiled and walked for me. "So what were you doing today?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing… Just went out to the mall with Dark and Sheik." I laughed nervously, trying not to sweat anxiously.

"Oh My Nayru, Sheik! That enemy is torturing the answers out of commander Gaiden! We have to help him! I'll go in, you get him out!" I heard Dark planning outside.

"Right." Sheik agreed, then they walked in.

"Hey, Marth!" Dark called the blue haired boy talking with me. "Dude! I have a question!" he made up.

Marth's attention turned from me, and to Dark. "Yeah?" he asked with a smile.

"I… uh… don't know how to open a power point document! Can you show me where to find one?" he chuckled nervously, motioning to the computer all the way back, the one we used. "Let's use that one, it's already started up." He motioned.

"Alright. Come on, I'll show you." Marth turned his back, walking for the computer.

I turned to Dark. "Major Shadow, if you ever return, you will be greeted as a hero. Now good luck, Major. And please, don't die." I put a hand on his shoulder.

He grinned and answered. "Of course not, commander. Now run. I'll put up with the enemy until you get to Quadrant A26. Go, commander, and don't look back. We'll meet up on Quadrant A26 once I'm done." He smirked, then walked towards Marth, waving goodbye.

"He was a brave soldier." I chuckled as Sheik grabbed my shoulders.

"Let's go, Commander! He sacrificed his…uh… something, for you, we can't let his sacrifice go to waste!" Sheik nudged me.

I turned to him, sighing and nodding. "You're right. Let's go, Major Sheik."

And with that, barely containing our laughter, we jumped out of the computer lab, but not without making sure the pink letter was with me first.

---

Sheik and I were waiting impatiently, leaning against a wall of the hallway we numbered Quadrant A26, when we saw Dark running for us.

Our faces lit up when he staggered back to us over dramatically. "Commander… I threw off the enemy… They almost tortured the answers out of me… I didn't say anything, commander. Please, do not wail over my loss." He gagged, then dropped motionless into my arms.

Unable to contain our laughter anymore, all three of us started laughing so hard, the people passing by looked at us as if we were crazy.

"Good job, Major Shadow. You will be awarded a medal of honour when we are done with this mission." I laughed.

"Is it a cookie? I'm worth it, Marth really did try to ask what we were doing in the lab so early." he frowned, momentarily breaking our background joke of being in a real spying mission.

"Shut up, you'll see." I winked, then turned to both of them. "Hopefully, you didn't tell him anything." I sighed.

"Of course not, commander! No amount of torture would make me spill it out!" he crossed his arms.

"Good job. Part 3 of mission CTTPH is a success. One more part, soldiers, and we are done with this perilous mission." I sighed happily.

"Let's move out, commander. We need to reach Quadrant C33 in ten minutes!" Sheik reminded me.

"You're right. Let's move out, troops!" and, laughing, we bounded down the H2 stairs to the first floor, also known as the dormitories.

---

Once gotten to the girls' rooms' hallway, I posted Sheik there.

"Major Sheik, you will be in charge of warning us when the enemy overlords cross back into their territory. Major Shadow, you will come with me." I told them.

Sheik saluted and posted himself in front of the long hallway, watching out for anyone who might be there.

"Alright. Major Shadow, masks!" I ordered. Dark took two masks, and two floppy hats out of a black string bag. One black hat for him, and one green for me. His mask was entirely black, and it looked like his skin was black when he wore it. Mine was tan, and once I wore it, it seemed like I had sun-hardened tanned skin. Dark then took out our three walkie-talkies, put on the same channel, and gave one to each of us. We turned them on, made sure they were working, and high fived.

"Let's move out. Good luck, Majors." I whispered once more before sneaking up the stairs, and into enemy territory, the girls' dormitories' hallway.

---

Once I got to our targets' room, Dark continued on towards me to the H2 staircase, located behind the dormitories. That's where he'll be waiting once I finished my part, and we'll make our escape together. Then, Sheik would meet us at our room.

So once in front of the girls' door, I first knocked and hid in a corner to see if anyone was there. No answer. So no one was there.

Then, I silently advanced and kneeled, placing myself flat on the floor. Then, taking out the purple envelope, I tired sliding it under their door.

Unfortunately, there was a metal strap on the floor, preventing me from doing much. I grunted as I kept trying.

It took a while, but when I finally found an opening, my walkie-talkie buzzed.

I took it off my belt and answered.

"Yeah?"

"Commander Gaiden! The enemy overlords have been spotted in Quadrant C30! Quickly commander, please!" Sheik's voice sounded.

"Thank you, major Sheik." I thanked, and got back to sliding the letter in. Unfortunately, my contact with Sheik had taken the bit back out, so now, I was kinda working under pressure.

"Commander! Quadrant C31!!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" I groaned into the walkie-talkie.

"Do you need backup, commander?" Dark's worried voice sounded in the walkie-talkie.

"It's just a fucking letter, I can do it, thanks. Be ready to take off at any moment. Major Sheik, run whenever the overlords enter your quadrant. Run, then stop and warn me." I ordered.

"Sir yes sir!" the two replies came, a bit deviated one from another.

I groaned, getting back to putting the letter. How hard is it to slide in a stupid letter? Oh yeah, the door's space is very small, plus there's a metal strap. Greeeat.

"Quadrant C32, commander! They're in my quadrant!" Sheik whispered nervously.

"Major, see if you can distract them! I need more time, I repeat, I NEED MORE TIME!" I almost screamed in the walkie-talkie.

After a while, I finally slid in the letter. Then, pounding to make sure it was well inside, I heard the walkie-talkie buzz.

"I'm sorry, commander! I stalled them as long as possible without seeming suspicious, but I had to leave! They're heading your way, commander! You have approximately three minutes left!" Sheik panicked.

"Don't worry, Majors, I'm done. The bird has returned to the nest!" I called into the walkie-talkie, running towards the H2 staircase. "Major Shadow, I'm heading your way! Be ready to take off!" I warned.

"Sir yes sir!" came the nervous reply from Dark.

"Sir, the overlords have gotten in their fortress's view! I hope you're not there!" Sheik asked, worried.

"Of course not, I'm actually able to see Major Shadow now." I said, squinting my eyes to see Dark, all dressed in black, hiding in the shadows of the H2 staircase.

"Commander! I see you!" Dark waved my way.

"Good, I see you too. Now turn off the walkie-talkies, and run towards our hideout! Go, soldiers, go! We've gone too far to lose it all now! Go go go!" I rushed them. Behind me, I could hear the girls' faint surprised voices. I knew they'd found the letter.

My heart thumped faster as I finally reached Dark. We made a simple handshake, then ran off on the H2.

Mission CTTPH is a success.

---

Once gotten to our room, I hastily took out my keys and opened the door. Dark and I crashed inside, laughing our asses off as Sheik closed the door for us and helped us up.

"Mission CTTPH is a success, guys!" I cheered. Their cheers joined mine as we high fived altogether.

"Okay, now we gotta do something as not to arouse suspicion…" Dark mused out loud.

"What if we play cards?" Sheik suggested.

"That's a brilliant idea! Quickly! To the cards!" I put my hand in the air and dashed off, imitating a random super hero. They followed, laughing.

---

About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. We were playing bullshit on my bed, so I rolled my eyes.

"Bullshit." I called, turning the top of the deck of cards.

"Goddamn!" Dark laughed, taking the cards with a groan.

I headed up, opening the door. Right in front of me stood…

"Yo… Midna, I think." I greeted nervously. My heart stopped hammering. They weren't supposed to be here this fast!

"Yeah, I'm Midna, and this is Tetra. And you know Zelda." She smirked, moving to let show the two other girls. All three were baring wry smirks.

"So…uh… What's the honour, Princesses?" Sheik asked, concealing the nervousness in his voice as he let go of his cards and joined me.

"It's pretty long, won't you let us in?" Tetra asked.

"Y…Yeah… Come in, I guess." Sheik blushed, opening the door wide. My heart started beating again, but abnormally fast.

"Okay, so, basically, we just came here to give you something you lost." Tetra laughed, then snapped her fingers. "Zelda?" she turned to my secret crush.

"Here you go, Tetra." She handed him a white envelope.

The tension in the room was awfully strong. It's like nobody dared to breathe.

And if any of us guys did, then all breath left our bodies when Tetra opened her envelope and threw an open purple envelope on the floor.

"I believe this is yours." She smirked.

"What? No! We aren't gay! Why would we use a purple envelope?" Dark laughed nervously.

"Easy. To conceal your identity." Midna remarked.

"Why would we do that? We don't even know what you're talking about!" Sheik backed Dark up.

"Ha, now you're going to make us believe this isn't yours?" Tetra took out a pink letter and threw it at my feet. My world swayed, my heart pumping with adrenaline, but seriously afraid as well.

"Nope. Last time I checked, we weren't gay, so no purple or pink for us." I defended us.

"Oh, come on, Link, we know it's you guys." Zelda laughed, moving forward. "We learned it in the computer lab, so don't hide it." she rolled her eyes.

Sheik and I turned to Dark.

"DARK!"

"IT WASN'T ME! I swear, I didn't reveal anything, no matter how much they tortured me! I didn't even know they were there! I only saw Marth, I swear! Don't kill me!" he pleaded.

"We won't kill you…" I sighed, knowing it was game over for us guys. I turned back to Zelda. "How'd you know it was us? We just put that letter there half an hour ago." I sighed in discouragement.

"It's okay, Link, your plan was very ingenious." She laughed her pure, beautiful laugh that made my cheeks heat up. "Except you neglected the fact that we could also be very smart and perceptive." She winked.

"Yeah. It took a lot of research, and questioning, and all…" Tetra recalled.

"And a lot of investigating too. It was a very complicated process, as we worked through the entire school, clue after clue, and then, after all that complicated stuff, we found the answer." Midna smirked proudly.

"The easy way around is to say we saw you print the paper in the computer lab." Zelda laughed, followed by the two other girls.

"WHAT?" us three boys exclaimed together.

"Yep." Midna nodded.

"Nooo! My beautiful plan! It was so ingenious!" I sarcastically sniffled, sitting on the floor, pretending to cry.

Zelda laughed again, lifting my mood. "Don't worry Link. Your plan was very well made. Only next time, check who's in the recording studio before doing anything clandestinely." She shrugged.

"What?" Dark asked, mouth gaping.

"Yeah. Tetra and I were recording a duet when Midna spotted you guys. We stopped rolling to watch what you were doing through the one-sided-view glass." Zelda giggled lightly.

There was a moment of silence, where everyone was debating their answer to the pounding question in the air.

Finally, I gathered my courage, convincing myself that rejection wouldn't be so bad, and gulped down nervously. "So…?" I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

The girls shifted uneasily, as well as the guys. I could feel Sheik and Dark steeling themselves against the impending rejection.

How could this plan have gone so horribly wrong?

"Well… We gave our final opinion to each other." Tetra shifted uncomfortably. I felt Sheik tense up.

"And… I decided to give it a shot." Midna sighed out, blushing.

I felt Dark melt in his place. We all looked towards him. His pale white skin was actually tomato red now. He coughed, loosening his collar to breathe. "R….Really?" he asked, wondering if it was a joke.

"Really… Truth is, I find you cute." Midna blushed again, making Dark almost blush his head off.

"And… I think you're very pretty…" Dark turned his gaze away, embarrassed.

"Hey, come on." Midna walked over and gave him a hug.

As we all expected, well, Sheik and I, at least, Dark relaxed in her arms and hugged back. "I love your plan, Link." he purred. We all started laughing, girls included. This might not be as bad as I thought!

"And… I also gave it a thought…" Tetra chuckled, heading for Sheik. "I'll be straight and blunt." I felt Sheik tense up again. "I like the idea, and I've always had my eye on you you sexy little shadow beast." She growled demandingly as she jumped on Sheik and gave him a hard kiss on the lips.

Surprised, my best friend dropped her and fell back, slamming hard on the floor. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed once out of his momentary surprise.

"Ooh! He talks dirty! I like it!" Tetra purred again, jumping on the floor with him, pinning him down with another rough kiss.

"Link, I LOVE your plan." Sheik panted after a while. Everyone laughed as Tetra laid her head down on his chest. He put his arms around her and waited.

"How come I didn't get a kiss?" Dark piped up childishly.

"Shut the fuck up, Dark." Midna growled, giving him what he wanted.

After laughing a while, he stopped and hugged Midna again. "Dude, you are the best girlfriend EVER!" he screamed in content.

"I'm a girl. Call me dude-ette." She smirked wryly.

"Can do, babe!" he laughed back as he held her tight and put his cheek on her shoulder.

Then, we all turned to Zelda. She was blushing madly. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was hyperventilating.

Then, she suddenly turned to me and smiled. "You know my answer, Link." she smiled.

"No?" I sighed sadly.

"Of course not. You're actually pretty cute, and your poetic words made my heart flutter. It's amazing how you beat Ganondorf yesterday too, so I'm guessing you have your sweet side as well as your feral side. I like it very much, and I'm sincerely hoping this'll be the best for both of us." She advanced and held out her hand to me.

I stood frozen for a while. Then, I reached out to take her hand. Her touch was so enchanting, I almost lost myself.

But holding back my tears of joy, I pulled myself up, and we ended up in each others' arms.

"I've had my eye on you ever since you came, but I was afraid of your reaction… Especially with Ganondorf around…" she sighed sadly.

I bit my lip, then dared to tilt her chin up with my fingers. "Ganondorf's not a problem anymore, Zelda." And with that, I let go of her chin to kiss her instead.

I can't believe I'm doing this… And I'm not dead yet! Sweet! A comfortable chill ran up and down my spine, the adrenaline pushing me pumping in my veins. My heart was hammering so fast, I swear it could have broken out of my chest. This is the first time I've ever felt so happy. It's a totally new concept...

Zelda tensed for a moment, then melted, putting her arms around me. And, returning the kiss, she sighed in content as our friends clapped sarcastically in the background.

"Okay, so were all a couple now." Midna broke into the silence as Zelda and I parted, though holding hands.

"And Ganondorf's gonna kill Link." Tetra pointed out.

I froze. "Fuck, I forgot all about Fag-mire…" I groaned desperately.

"Don't worry Link. We're all here for you." Zelda caressed my cheek.

"Thanks." I blushed.

"Okay, so now, Link has proven to be a gentleman, now you guys have to show us what you can do." Midna suggested.

"Oh, great." Sheik mumbled, getting off the floor with Tetra's help.

"Hey, guys, I can help. Take out your instruments." I laughed.

"You crazy? We can barely play!" Dark countered.

"It's very simple, I know you'll be able to follow." I winked, taking the bag containing my ocarina in it, and opening it. Taking out the ocarina's box, I threw open the lid and unwrapped the bubble paper. Inside, I found my blue ocarina.

With a nostalgic smile, I took it out, putting it against the light. The Triforce mouthpiece glinted in the rays of the lamp.

"Oooh! An ocarina! Can you play one, Link?" Midna inquired curiously.

"It's so pretty!" Tetra commented.

"Yeah, Link, can you play us a tune?" Zelda encouraged.

"Hey girls, I'm trying to help them impress you, so pay attention to their music as well, kay?" I asked, turning towards Dark and Sheik.

They had both taken out their electric guitar and harp, and were standing ready to play, not without blushing first.

"Sheik! You play a harp? That's so cute!" Tetra exclaimed.

"Yeah, well my boyfriend has a manly instrument!" Midna smirked, nudging the electric guitar in Dark's hands.

"Except your boyfriend can't play well, so he'll sound like a sissy." Dark laughed, accompanied by everyone else.

I sat down on my bed and blew a test note. A pure crystalline sound echoed through the room. My friends set their instruments right, then looked at me. "Okay, commander Gaiden, we're following you." Dark smirked.

"Okay. I'll give you the basic keys, just add in anything your soul feels like adding. Pour your feelings in it, change it, do what you want. The point is to make a symphony. I know you guys can do it. Good luck, soldiers." I laughed. "Just make sure to keep on the tune." I reminded them.

"Alright, alright." They both replied with sarcastic smiles.

"Here goes… listen well…" I took a deep breath, then started playing.

The ocarina's notes bounded off the wall as I played the pure, crystalline melody. It was pretty slow, actually. Soon, Dark's guitar started making the background beat. And I lapsed into the real song. A bit later, Sheik found the right cords and started gently plucking his harp's strings.

And again. We did the same thing over again, with higher notes at some part this time. Then, I decided to move it up a bit. I'm sure Sheik and Dark will adapt.

They sure did as our three instruments rang in the room in perfect harmony. I can totally see this as a rave someday…

Then, I decided to slow down a bit for them to catch up, but inserted a few twists.

Then, I decided to take the keys more orchestrated. We went faster, a bit more serious, and found our harmony again. The same keys were repeated over and over again, but gradually, the voice lowered. It's amazing how the guys were keeping up.

Afterwards, I decided to slow down to catch my breath. They too, as I was left for a little ocarina and harp background solo. Sheik's fingers delicately plucked the strings as I played my notes gently, accompanied slightly by Dark's guitar.

Though, after taking our break, we started fully active again. This version of the notes was jumpier and more…square, if you catch my meaning. The notes were broken and followed each other immediately.

After that, I decided to try something new. I took my notes and made them flow one after another in perfect harmony, in an oceanic concept. Dark quickly caught on, adding the bass I needed behind my ocarina notes. Sheik used his harp to add in the background beat, and together, it flowed perfectly. I assimilated the melody to the flowing waves, and it was very soothing, and epic at the same time.

When my fingers finally started hurting, I decided to end it. And what good is it to end a song without coming back to the beginning? None. So I slowed down the pace, and went back to the same beat as the first version of my notes.

And as I tried finding the nicest way to end this song, a melody my aunt played on my birthdays came in mind. I smiled, not loosing concentration, but kept playing with doubled force, turning the style of the notes into a cheerful song.

And, when I was finally out of breath, and my fingers were sore from playing, I ended the song with a last note.

As soon as I finished, I let go of the ocarina that fell on my bed. Then, I looked at Sheik and Dark, who were finishing up, each on their own style. I looked at their faces. Serene and calm as they finished up with very gentle notes. They really were pouring every bit of their soul into the melody.

Once they finished, they turned to me with gentle smiles. "Ever thought of becoming a maestro, Link? You're seriously very inspiring." Dark laughed.

"Yeah." Sheik agreed, looking at the girls.

They were all holding hands, smiling. I could see Zelda's eyes brimming with tears.

"So?" I asked. "Good enough to impress you?" I smirked.

"FUCK YEAH!" Midna exclaimed, laughing, followed by Tetra and Zelda.

"That was AMAZING, Link!" Zelda exclaimed. I motioned in Sheik's and Dark's way. "Oh, and you guys were amazing too! It's so cool, how you harmonized each other while playing!" Zelda sighed dreamily.

"It's like Link said. We just found the inspiration in us when he played, and just added in what we felt like." Dark spoke up for both of them.

"Well, you're all amazing artists, but it's already nine o' clock." Tetra motioned to our clock. "You know? As in, curfew, and all…" she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so, good luck getting back to your room without getting spotted." Sheik wished, plucking a kiss on Tetra's lips.

"Same here." Dark stole Midna's lips. She fiercely replied before moving towards the door.

"Well, Zelda…" I blushed, heading for her. She blushed as well, but smiled. "Have a good night, I guess… "I sighed, putting my arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

"It'll feel much better now that I know you bear me in your heart." She whispered with an innocent smile.

"You're right." I plucked a small kiss on her lips.

She smiled and replied in an equally tender way. "I love you Link. Don't forget it." She winked, heading for the door.

"I'll be sure to never forget. I love you too, Zel. You just made me the happiest boy in Hyrule." I smiled back as I escorted them to the door. Really. Last time I'd been this happy, it was when I was still young, when my aunt was still alive, and loved me. I'd never felt so loved before. Zelda's love was a whole different love from my aunt's. It was all so enchanting. I wished it could never end...

"Okay. Seeya in class, tomorrow. Ciao! G'night." Midna wished. With one last wink, the girls disappeared down the hall.

Once they were gone, I closed the door and headed back to my bed, plopping down on it tiredly. "I don't know about you guys, but today couldn't have gone better." I groaned tiredly.

"Hell yeah. Today was awesome." Sheik laughed.

I smiled back and headed to the bathroom, filling myself a cup of water to hydrate my dehydrated throat from the ocarina playing.

"Yeah, and it's gonna be better, tomorrow, with parent day!" Dark exclaimed.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see my mom again." Sheik laughed.

"Is your uncle coming to see you, Link?" Dark inquired curiously.

But the single sentence stopped my heart. My uncle… was coming… to visit…?

I forgot to breathe, and before I knew it, I was choking on the water I was drinking. Falling to the floor, chocking, I dropped my cup, spilling everything left in it. I was too busy coughing anyway.

"Link!"

"You okay?"

"I…I'm fine…" I tried to stop coughing, getting up and heading for the bathroom. "I'll get the mop to wipe that." I pointed to the water on the wooden floor.

The two boys looked at me worriedly as I coughed, mopping the water. Then, I picked up the empty cup and took it back to the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Sheik asked, spotting the usual uneasy glint in my eyes.

"Nothing, just… tired… that's all…" I bit my lip to avoid telling them the truth. Their amazing day didn't have to get ruined because of my big mouth.

"Kay… You'd better head to sleep then." Dark suggested, yawning. "I'm gonna go in early as well."

"Yeah, our little spying mission drained me." Sheik chuckled, heading for the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Yep." I replied emptily, contemplating the empty space.

"You sure you're okay? You've been zoning out an awful lot these days." Dark noticed.

"Yeah… This concept… is just… new to me… that's all… I'll get used to it." I shook my head, bearing a tiny smile. "But right now, I'm just tired." I yawned, heading for the bathroom.

"We all are." Sheik laughed, brushing his teeth.

"Oh, guys, I got a cool idea. Why don't we keep the quadrants, and all? We could surely use them later on." Dark suggested.

"I'm totally on the same page as you, Dark." I chuckled, grabbing my toothbrush. "Those quadrants and codenames are way too creative to be dumped after just one mission." I chuckled, starting to brush my teeth.

"So…Uhh… We need a team name, or something…" Sheik piped in thoughtfully.

"How… 'bout… I got nothing." Dark sighed.

"How about…just… the Dark Rebels?" I suggested.

"But it's the name we have with Darmani and Mikau!" Sheik laughed, finishing up his brushing and going over to the closet to change his clothes.

"Is it official? Do they know about it?" I asked with a wry smirk.

"Noooooes…." Dark slowly caught on, smiling.

"Then it's the perfect name! Sheik, Dark and Link, the three Dark Rebels of Hyrule High!" I pronounced in a deep, announcer's voice.

The two boys just started laughing. "Okay then! The Dark Rebels of Hyrule High it is!" Dark laughed, putting his hand in front of him. Catching on, Sheik went over over and put his hand over Dark's.

"Hey Link! We're waiting for you!" Sheik called.

With a smile, I headed over and put my hand over Sheik's. Dark's other hand came on top, and Sheik's hand followed. Mine ended up on the very top. "From now on, we will be known as the Dark Rebels of Hyrule High! Our mission is to make Hyrule High a better place. We are united against Ganondorf and his gang, now known as the Wielders of Evil, and we are the protectors of the Tomboy Princesses. Now, repeat after me." I smiled, then started laughing, along with the two other boys. "We are united till the end. Only death can break our friendship's bond." I pronounced in a deep tone.

"We are united till the end. Only death can break our friendship's bond." they repeated.

"Together, we shall stand tall against Ganondorf and take our rightful place as rulers of light over Hyrule High." I smirked.

"Together, we shall stand tall against Ganondorf and take our rightful place as rulers of light over Hyrule High." They repeated, barely keeping themselves from laughing.

"And now, I pronounce us Major Shadow, aka Major Dark, and Major Sheik."

"And now, I pronounce us…" they tried repeating, but I groaned in amusement.

"You weren't supposed to repeat that." I smirked.

"You weren't supposed to…wait… we weren't?" Dark asked.

"Yeah…" I looked at him as he grinned sheepishly.

"Okay, anyway, you are now dubbed Major Shadow aka Major Dark and Major Sheik." I sighed, continuing.

"And Commander Gaiden." Sheik reminded, winking.

"Thanks." I smiled, continuing. "So anyways, let's screw the titles for now, we'll think of it later. But for now, repeat once more." I winked. "I promise to be good, and act for the good of everyone at Hyrule High. I swear to protect the Tomboy Princesses, at whatever the cost is." I recited.

"I promise to do all that shit." Dark rolled his eyes.

"Same here." Sheik smirked.

"Alright! Dark Rebels of Hyrule High! Disband! Your new mission is to get ready for bed, and go to sleep! Let's do this, you guys! On three, we break! One, two!" I counted down, moving our hands up and down to the count.

"AND THREE! BREAK!" as we threw our hands in the air, laughs accompanying our every move, I realized this was everything I'd ever wanted. I had someone's love, not family love, but real, fierce, genuine love. I had friends. Not just friends, BEST friends, that would trek to the end of the world with me if I asked them to. I had everything I'd ever wanted in my life.

Nothing could ruin this for me.

How cliché does that sound?

*********************

**Author Notes:**

**No seriously. How cliché does that sound? Yeah, you guessed right, guys. Tomorrow is the chapter in OIHS that is the equivalent of chapter 7 in JLR :D No, not the huge text, or the bad grammar, or the complicated plot. XD As in the sad chapter XD What? I can't have a fanfic without the drama! O_o Cut me a break, here, will you? This was totally unplanned, and this is the first thing that popped into my mind X3**

**And the poster Link bought was a random poster. I wanted one for Kingdom Hearts 2, with Roxas in it XD But I didn't find the title of Kingdom Hearts 2, so I chose Birth by Sleep instead (the 3rd KH, that's gonna come out soon)**

**Anyway, here's about the melodies Link played. The first one is actually pretty easy to guess ^^; It's in Twilight Princess, and it's the saddest tune in it XD Not that hard to find out, now, right? ^_^ Just in case, here's the youtube link to the song :)**

**All you do is go to youtube, then paste this link behind the address: /watch?v=DIuOpb_KNCA&feature=related**

**Then, the second song is actually something more fun to listen to X3 It's a compilation of all the main Zelda themes in every game until...uhh... wind waker, I think ^^; so whatever. Same thing, just go to youtube and paste this after your address bar: /watch?v=EWN1kqbSUPs&feature=related**

**And that's about it. Any questions are welcome, and I was kinda feeling spiritual when I wrote this chapter XD So basically, Impa is Link's aunt in this story, and she died, which devastated Link, so he played the first song when she died and BLABLABLAH! So that's about it ^_^ Hope you liked this :) And stay tuned for tomorrow :)**

**PLEASE REVIEWWWWW!! :DDDD**


	5. Day 5: Visiting Day

**Author Notes:**

***gets tackled by vicious little cousins* SOMEONE HELP MEEEEE! I swear to God, this chapter was a pain to write, with my cousins running around everywhere. I had to go to their house for the entire day, and was annoyed to death by them. Unfortunetely, Hell was full so they sent me back XD**

**So yep. Hopefully, it dosn't seem too rushed to you O_o Those devils (one of them is a few years younger than me, then other is almost my age :OOO) were standing over me the entire time. I can't work under pressure O_o**

**Anyway, I'll stop ranting now. **

**---**

**_WARNING: Chapter rated 15+ for physical abuse, LOTS OF CURSING, and suicide mentions ^_^ Enjoy :D_**

******************

In the morning, I woke up oblivious to everything. I was lost in my bliss for a while, then realized we were Sunday.

Hmm…

Nope, doesn't ring a bell. Still lost in my bliss.

"Hey Link! Morning, commander!" Sheik's voice reached my ears as I grouchily pushed myself into a sitting position.

I smirked, remembering yesterday's events. It had been the best day ever! "Hey, Sheik. Is Dark awake?" I asked, yawning.

"He's been up for a long while now. Actually, his parents came and took him downtown for the day." Sheik shrugged as he put on a shirt.

"What? Parents?" I asked, still half asleep.

"Yeah! Today's Parent Visit Day! Parents, and in your case, guardians, come and visit the kids, and they get to take them out for an entire day." Sheik smiled.

But my world stopped. Everything froze for a moment, including my breath, and my heart. I felt like breaking into tears again. He was coming? HE was coming!? Oh dear Farore, no…

"Are you going?" I asked in a little voice.

"Yeah." He replied, blinded by his joy.

I half-smiled. Well, not everyone can get their happy ending. At least Dark and Sheik got one. After all they did for me, they're worth so much more than just a happy ending.

There was suddenly a knock on the door. My heart tensed as Sheik went over to open it. Thankfully, I saw that it was his mom, or something like that.

The blond woman smiled, walking inside. Sheik quickly threw his arms around her waist and hugged her. "HI MOM!" he greeted with a smile.

"Hey honey!" she laughed, then looked at me. "What an adorable face! He's your nice roommate, honey?" she asked pleasantly.

"Yeah mom! This is Link!" Sheik greeted.

"Nice to meet you ma'am." I greeted with a smile.

"Same here, Link. I see you're quite the gentleman." She laughed.

Actually, Sheik's mom seemed pretty young. Barely thirty-five, maybe. Her head was pure blond, her eyes sparkling blue. I guess Sheik's red eyes come from his father. She was wearing a tight blue dress, simple, and V-neck. The bottom went to her ankles, and the sleeves stopped around the half of her arms.

"Okay, come on, my love. We're going out downtown today, and we sure don't wanna miss the train." Sheik's mom finally gently pushed him towards the door.

"Okay mom!" he turned back to me. "Seeya later Link!" he laughed, then stepped out, closing the door.

As soon as he left, though, the air seemed colder. The sudden tension in the room was stressing. I felt like I was shrinking in my place.

Okay, I guess I'm not awake yet. Better go grab breakfast…

As soon as I got to the door, though, a sudden rough knock on it scared the shit outta me. With a cry of surprise, I jumped back, clutching my heart, breathing fast.

After a while of…cowering… I finally decided to stand up against my fear, and, taking a deep breath, and calming my heart's super quick beating, I grabbed the door's handle and slowly turned.

And I was met, despite all my prayers that weren't answered, with the huge body of my uncle, still swaying from side to side. I swear to GOD, did this guy grow UP or something? He towered over me before, but now he is…uh… well, he's bigger, make the connection.

I mean, really. For a guy who is AT LEAST 6'2 feet tall (he was, last time I checked), he was pretty fat too. I blame the excessive amounts of alcohol he consumed all these years. I can't believe he didn't die yet.

No seriously, can't he just DIE already? I hate him so much, you can't imagine. More than Ganon, and his gang, more than…uh… I got nothing. Just try and imagine how much I hate him.

"HEY! IT'S LINK MAH BOY!" Uncle hiccupped, swaying inside, then slamming the door closed. Before I had time to do anything much, he grabbed me in a headlock, and started noogie-ing me. "Hey Link, it's been such a long time! And wow, you've changed so much, and…" he kept blabbering while painfully giving me a non-stop noogie.

Ow ow ow ow ow. What? It hurts when the same place on your head keeps getting rubbed over and over again. "No offence, uncle, but it's been four days I've been gone from home. I don't think I changed THAT much." I groaned.

"Don't reply to me." He muttered. I shut up. What? I knew better than to disobey, I'm not THAT much of an idiot.

After a while, he was still blabbering. And still giving me a noogie. Owwie. God, the skin up there is gonna be so raw after all this.

I finally decided to push away, and started struggling against his iron grip. "Ouch! Uncle, you're hurting me!" I stated the obvious. Think he cares? No he doesn't, but that's not my point. The alcohol probably completely blew his nerves off. I finally pushed away, rubbing my head. Now that the pressure stopped, it hurt even more.

"So, what's new, little man?" he asked, hiccupping, then punching me in the stomach. Again. It's his way of saying 'hello'. Yes, I know, awkward.

Coupled with the bruises I'd received from Ganondorf the other day, my stomach flared up at the contact, and I crumpled to the floor, clutching it painfully. He, on the other hand, stared at his hand, raising a brow.

I groaned. Not only in pain, but I knew what was going to ensue. One, two, three… Here it comes.

"What's the resistance down there?" he asked, pointing at my stomach.

Picking myself up, I growled lowly at him. "You already know. It's been at least fifty times you've asked me about it." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I forget!" he muttered. "So what is it?" he demanded, more than asked.

"It's the fucking piercing I have on my belly button, you should know it by now." I rolled my eyes.

His gaze became murderous. "Don't take that tone with me." He warned. Wow. I'm lucky he didn't punch, or anything.

"Course not." I muttered.

"We have gone over this, what, fifty times, Link?" my uncle growled menacingly, grabbing my arm tightly.

I winced, but nodded. "Yeah, that's what I said." I replied.

"DON'T REPLY TO ME." He warned. I know that voice. He's getting dangerous now. "Now tell me, why did you get pierced without my consent?" he asked. For the millionth time. Come on! I had it pierced when I was ten years old! It's been five years I've had it!

I rolled my eyes. "To show you I won't be your puppet anymore." I growled, bracing myself. It's the same process all the time, I've gotten used to it. I can even predict what he's gonna say. He's gonna say something like 'You belong to me, and blah.'

"Now listen here, boy." He growled menacingly. "I took you in since you were a little infant. I took care of you when I had the choice not to. So be quiet and show some respect." He narrowed his eyes.

"No! You never did! Auntie Impa always loved me, you did nothing!" I objected. I was met with a hard slap across the face.

"Don't ever mention Impa again." he spat at me. I wiped the spittle from my cheek with a disgusted expression, and looked back at him.

"She's the only reason you started drinking! You have to stop, before anything bad happens!" I tried convincing him. He wasn't always an abusive hypocrite like he is today. Fine, he never had an eye out for me when my aunt was still alive, but when she died, he started drinking to forget her, and his 'hatred' for me grew even more, 'specially with the alcohol screwing with his nerves.

"I said don't mention my wife again!" he slapped my other cheek this time. Ouchie. Now both my cheeks were red.

"Fine." I breathed, ashamed at myself for giving in so easily.

"Good. Now be a good boy and obey. Take the piercing out and throw it away. I don't want you to look like an idiot with a green dot in the middle of your stomach. The loops on your ears are just enough, thank you." He growled.

But I didn't reply with a long objection I only said one word. "Never." I wouldn't give up so easily. If he thinks I'm going to be some kind of little boy he can use as a carpet to wipe his feet upon, then he's totally wrong.

I won't be broken again.

"Take it out." He growled, eyes narrowing.

I gulped, knowing I was playing with fire. But at least I tried to make it better… "No! You won't control me! I don't belong to you!" I objected. He grabbed my other arm roughly, digging his nails into it. And since he never actually bothers cutting his nails, at one point, five crescent-moon shaped wounds appeared on my arm, bleeding slightly.

"Don't make me say it again. You're mine, and you will listen to what I say." He ordered.

"Or what?" I asked, a bit too carried away with my momentum to stop myself from saying that. "Sorry sorry sorry!" I quickly apologized, but it was too late. In less than a second, his fist had travelled to my stomach and back to my arm.

I couldn't even double over to try and subdue the pain. It would've hurt less if Ganondorf's hadn't punched me the other day. Do I resemble THAT much to a punching bag? I felt blood running down the corner of my mouth. Guess the wounds from the other day hadn't completely healed yet. And they reopened, again. And I also think I have YET ANOTHER bruise to add to my growing collection.

I dared to look up in his eyes, covered by his black hair. His moustache was turned down into a frown, so I guessed he was a bit more than just angry.

"I said I was sorry?" I tried, knowing it was useless.

"Well sorry won't save you now, you impudent little brat." He spat, closing up on me. "I will make your life a living hell." He hiccupped. I guessed he was still under the effects of alcohol.

Sorry to break it to you, uncle, but you're a bit late to affirm that.

My hell started nine years ago.

---

I wished I could get a break for lunch, like go out, run away, and probably never come back, but my uncle was intent on making me stay inside my room. It would have to get out one day, though. I wish he would just get arrested and die already. I'd been enduring this for nine years now, it was about time I'd get a break.

And I'm fully autonomous now. As soon as today is over, I'm going to go up to the police station, conquer my fears and tell them what's wrong.

I just didn't know I'd never get the chance.

---

During lunch, my uncle barred the door by sitting in front of it and told me to eat anything we had in the mini bar. I wish I could, but first, there wasn't much, and second, I couldn't eat, even if I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday's lunch. My stomach was crying out loud, begging me to eat something, but I couldn't. I tried drinking water, but all I did was throw it back up into the sink.

And guess the best part. He cut the telephone cord. I barely tried reaching for it when he wasn't looking for a moment. One minute would have done, but even before I had dialed the 911, he grabbed a scissor and cut through the cord. Great. Not only are Dark and Sheik gonna be pissed at me, but I didn't have any way to call for help. Isn't that just perfect? So I tried making up another escape plan with him blocking the doorway.

I could always jump out of the window, but I think the dormitories are high over the ground. For a first floor, it's pretty high. Basically because they called "First floor" the first floor that was above the ground. The real first floor was the entrance, that was lead up with the stairs in front of the school.

So to make it easy, let's just say we were high up.

And despite the fact that I'd love to leave this misery behind, I now have something to live for. I have friends, best friends that look out for me, and I have a girlfriend, who cares and loves me.

Hey! If I live through this, maybe Zelda can help me… No… I'd rather keep my troubles out of my friends' lives. They don't need to share my pain and my misery.

With a sad sigh, I turned towards my uncle. He was still leaning against the door, watching me intently, with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"Gonna go wash my hands..." I muttered, heading for the bathroom. Once inside, though, I locked the door. "Oh Goddesses, what have I gotten myself into right now?" I muttered low. "So it comes down to this. Commander Gaiden, trapped in the enemy's grip, desperately trying to find a way out while his soldiers are gone..." I sighed, joking darkly. "But Commander Gaiden won't give up. He'll actually take the enemy out in his own lair..." I whispered to myself, a slight plan forming in my head.

---

A bit later, I walked out of the bathroom like nothing had happened. Actually, I had hidden a random pipe wrench between my pants and underwear. Not a very comfortable position, but it would do.

And I had only one shot. It's live free or die hard.

Or just be in excrutiating pain for the rest of the day, but let's exclude that mention for now.

So, while my uncle was mumbling like a drunk (I have strong beliefs that he drank some type of alcohol during lunch), I silently and innocently headed over for him, hands on my hips, making sure the wrench was there.

And, taking one more breath, I quickly whipped the wrench out, hitting my uncle's skull easily. He swayed, and coupled with the alcohol he consumed, he fell down, snoring loudly.

I congratulated myself and threw the pipe wrench under my bed, looking around. The door was locked and barred by him, now 'sleeping' in front of it. I groaned. Great job, dufus. As I rolled my eyes, though, I was met with the window. One of the craziest and most suicidal plans I've ever made popped up in my mind.

This could be my chance to escape. I turned to the window completely. The door was a no-go, but maybe there was someplace I could step on if I got out. The only problem is that there is a bug net I'd have to take out. And I'm not very good with taking stuff out silently. Yeah, it's a very shallow "sleep" he's in. And if he finds out I'm trying to escape, then dear Farore, help me.

So I silently headed for the window. It was big enough to let me out if I bent down. I stepped on Sheik's bed, the one under the window, and opened the window silently. Peering out, I saw that there was actually a small ledge I could walk on, that lead to the other rooms. I could sneak into one and escape from that door.

So I got to work. Not having a screwdriver, it was harder to take the bug net's screws out. But when I was finally done, I silently put them down on Sheik's bed. Then, I took a deep breath, cracked my knuckles, and pulled on the bug net. The huge, heavy net was almost as heavy as half my own weight, and trust me, it's a lot. So, struggling not to drop it, or not to make noise, I put it against the wall.

Then, I stepped on Sheik's bed post to lift myself higher. The windowsill was at my heart's level now. Hopefully, the wood would hold when I thrust myself up.

It did. As I strained my muscles to lift myself up on the windowsill, I didn't even feel the wood crack. I was just about outside, when one of my feet suddenly slipped and hit the wall. Stifling a curse, I looked at the metal net. It it fell, it would make a lot of noise. One that could wake up someone in a shallow sleep.

The net rattled, and I held my breath. It swayed, but didn't fall. I didn't stop looking at it nervously for the least. It's exactly how every horror movie would end up as. The net would stop, then fall.

Oh fuck, my life is a horror movie!

With a resonating metal-against-wood noise, the net fell on the floor. Feeling my heart beat a hundred miles an hour, I proceeded to stepping out, hearing my uncle mumble as he awoke, cursing as he rubbed his sore head. I was just about outside when he realized the situation.

Moving up, he ran for the window. "HEY!" he yelled after me.

I ignored it as much as possible, with his threats resounding in my ears as I steadied myself on the little cement ledge. What sucked was that our room's window faced the gardens, aka, the side where no one actually bothered looking. So no one could help.

Gulping down nervously, deathly afraid, I proceeded to walking to the room on my left. I felt tears sting my eyes as I fumbled blindly for anything I could grip that could make me safe from falling. One false step, and I would die.

Woops, too late. My uncle yelled at me from inside, making my world sway. Coupled with the tears now running down my cheeks, my world swayed, and my right foot left the ledge. I blindly looked at something that could stop my fall, and the only thing I could find was my windowsill. I gripped the wood there, digging my palm into it, my heart beating faster than ever. Sweat ran down the sides of my face, as did tears down my eyes. My breath was quick, irregular, and even completely stopped when I felt someone grip my wrist angrily, digging their nails into the main vein in it.

"Link, you ignorant little fool!" I heard my uncle mutter as he pulled me back up.

If I had the choice to fall and roll, and probably break a bone, or die, and get face to face with him right now, I'd choose the first option. I'm serious.

So I started struggling against his grip. Unfortunately, my left foot left the ledge as well, and I felt my heart sink as I yelped in fear. I was left swinging into the nothingness, hitting the wall abruptly, scraping my face.

Slowly, but steadily, he pulled me back up. I didn't struggle this time. Whatever my choice was, I had the pain coming.

When he finally hauled me back into the room, I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what was next. It was a wise choice, because I felt like I was being pushed , and I stumbled violently into the opposite wall.

"FFFFFFFFFFUCK!" I swore as a searing pain ripped through my back. I felt like my spine was broken, or something had been dislocated. Of course, something was wrong, but I don't think anything's broken. It just hurt a lot.

So I crumpled to the floor, trying to breathe normally, and failing royally at it. Every inch of my body burned like they had never burned before. Excruciating pain blocked out all my senses. For a moment, I felt nothing else but pain. Then, as a knee, or something equally hard collided with my head, I felt my vision swim. That's when I finally heard my uncle's voice.

"…Are you crazy? If you died, I wouldn't care, but I have to make sure to leave my trace before I go, and also because…" I stopped listening. His voice was too much for my ears.

Then, I came back on his words. 'Before I go'…? "Uncle, where are you going?" I asked in a raspy voice, shaken by the tears trailing down my face.

"To meet Impa, of course." He growled, then continued yelling. But my mind was stuck on the first three words. But… Auntie Impa was dead…

Would he really…?

"And so, I have planned out EVERYTHING, and I left nothing for you in my will! I never liked you, never will, never have, never!" he yelled.

"You're going to commit suicide?" I asked, feeling my heart sink, but flutter at the same time.

"No, you just realized? You're such a stupid boy." He growled, then continued ranting.

"But why…?" I breathed, feeling pain rip through my entire body again. I leaned against the wall clutching my aching stomach. Forgotten until now, a cough of blood reminded me that Ganondorf wasn't the only one who mistook me for a sack of flour in this life.

"I needed to make sure you'd remember me forever, dear boy." He mimicked sarcastically, hiccupping. Goddamn alcohol, making my life harder than it should be.

"I don't want to remember you." I gasped in pain.

"But you will." He laughed evilly, grabbing something next to him. My vision was blurring so much, I didn't see what it was until it stuck itself into my left arm, the one opposite to the wall.

I couldn't say anything. The pain was just too much. "You….sadistic…bastard…" I could only stutter out before his hand was applied to my mouth. Just the moment when I screamed in pain. His other hand grabbed whatever was stuck in my arm and pulled, doubling, if not tripling my tears and screams of pain. All muffled by his hand.

Once my throat was raw from screaming, I turned my head weakly to look at what had embedded itself into my arm. My eyes widened in shock and amazed horror when I realized it was one of those curved end scissors. Seriously, curved-tipped scissors? This guy could create pain out of everything!

Okay, example. Put me and my uncle (always drunk, no exception) in a room with Styrofoam padded walls and pillows. In less than five minutes, come back. You'll find him stuffing pillows up my ass and Styrofoam down my throat.

So now you know how dangerous he is. I never got why he hated me so much though. He always had something against me. Don't ask.

"Then if you're gonna go, then go already. Please, just leave me alone..." I gulped down shakily.

"I will." He smirked. "In due time." He added. I closed my eyes, breathing hard. Farore, kill me now.

**TXTXTXTX.....TXTXTXTX**

Laughing, Sheik and Dark walked together towards their room. They had left their moms and dads at the front door, and now, around seven o' clock, they were heading back to their room to meet Link. Their day had been awesome, and by some chance, they had met each other downtown, and had passed the day together. Now, they were laughing about some random points as they opened the door to their room.

But as soon as they stepped inside, they felt an unusually cold wind full of tension blow through the room. And they also noticed the entire room was a huge mess. It looked like quite a battle took place in there.

Closing the door, Dark even shivered. "I know it was cold outside, with the September wind, and all, but it's even colder here..." he noticed.

Sheik's attention turned to the window. "Maybe cuz the window's open?" he headed for it to close it.

"And just why is the bug net taken out of the window?" Dark asked, motioning to the bug net, sprawled on the wooden floor.

"I dunno. Let's put it back now." Sheik shrugged, grabbing it. Dark ran over and helped him set it back right into the window. At one point, they noticed the bent parts of the windowsill, but shrugged it off. Once done securing the screws on the window, Sheik closed it. The cold wind stopped, but the tension was still there. Both boys could feel it.

"Hey, wasn't Link supposed to be here?" Dark finally noticed.

"He should be. His shoes are still here, so he isn't gone outside." Sheik pointed at Link's white running shoes, waiting patiently next to the door.

"Liiiink!" Dark tried calling. Of course, there was no answer.

"Hey Link, you here?" Sheik tried. Still no answer.

"Think he fell asleep anywhere...?" Dark asked.

"No, he's not here, where else could he fall asleep?" Sheik reasoned.

"What if he's just hiding to surprise us, or anything?" Dark smirked, heading for the left closet.

On the way there, though, something pointy prodded under his foot. Dark jumped back, a dull pain starting to spread from his foot.

"What the...?" he raised a brow, looking on what he had stepped on. It was actually a random t-shirt.

But a t-shirt couldn't hurt... Bending down, he took the t-shirt off the floor.

His eyes widened when he saw what he had stepped on. "Holy fuck, Sheik." He gasped in horror, looking down at the bloodstained scissor lying in a dried puddle of blood.

Sheik gasped and stepped back when he saw it. The trail even led up to the wall, where it was a dried spray of blood.

"Link?" Sheik tried in a hushed voice, shaking with fear and worry.

"Come on, they probably just decided to paint, and got it all over the walls." Dark stuttered unconvincingly.

"We don't HAVE paint in our room." Sheik whispered worriedly.

"Maybe his uncle just brought some." Dark tried effortlessly, not convincing anyone.

The same conclusion rang in both their heads at the same time.

Is this why Link was deathly afraid of his uncle...?

"LIIINK!"

"LIIIIIIIINK!"

"ARE YOU HERE?!!"

"LINK, CAN YOU HEAR US??!!"

Once they stopped, they realized Link was not here... or he was in no position to reply.

"This is officially freaking me out." Sheik whispered fearfully.

"Are we shooting a horror movie that I'm not aware of?" Dark asked hopefully.

Sheik shook his head. "No, but if this IS a horror movie, then there is one place we have yet to look." Sheik gulped down.

The two boys turned to the closed bathroom door. "The bathroom." They nodded together. They both took a deep breath, and headed for the door.

As they stepped inside, they realized it was colder than the main room in here.

"Hold my hand, I'm fucking pissing my pants now." Dark laughed, trying to relieve the tension.

"Kay." Sheik held Dark's hand. Together, they checked out the closet with towel, and everywhere around the sink. In the end, they turned to the bathtub.

"It's the only place left." Dark breathed.

"We're making a big deal out of everything..." Sheik convinced himself.

"Yeah we are. Remember yesterday? All we did was deliver a letter to the girls, but with complicated steps." Dark chuckled.

"Another reason to find Commander Gaiden." Sheik half-smiled.

"On three." Dark grabbed the curtains. Now that they were close and silent, they actually heard the sound of moving water.

"One." Sheik grabbed the curtain as well.

"Two." The two boys held their breath. "Three." They pulled the curtain open, staring into the bathtub.

Their fearful stares immediately became one of pure horror when they spotted the inside.

In the bathtub, full of bloody water, fully clothed but cut and bruised in many places, with lightly bluish lips and cheeks, apparently unconscious, lay...

"Holy fucking fuck..."

"Link..." Sheik barely stuttered out.

Every single organ in their stomachs constricted and twisted in terror, and their breaths were caught in their throats for a while. Their jaws dropped open in shock, and their eyes widened in horror. The only thing audible was the pounding of their own heart in their ears and the slight trickle of the bloody water in the tub. The air was now stale, stained with the stench of blood, throwing everything in their stomachs back up. Now they REALLY hoped this was a horror movie.

The shock was too much for a moment, until Dark snapped out of his horrified trance.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! LINK!" he kneeled next to the bathtub, soon followed by Sheik.

"What happened?" Sheik whispered to himself more than anyone else.

Dark turned to him. "SHEIK! You're faster than me! Run and call Zelda, she has an accreditation for life-saving first aid! I'll take care of him until you come back." He ordered.

Without even bothering with the sarcastic 'Sir Yes Sir', Sheik fearfully nodded and dashed off outside the room. During that time, Dark pulled up his sleeves and hooked Link's arms on his. Then, putting every ounce of his strength in his arms, he pulled him out of the bloody water, feeling the coldness of his skin.

"Oh Goddesses Link. Please, don't be..." Dark held back the tears of fear and worry that were impending to run down his cheeks. He convinced himself the coldness of his skin was caused by the freezing water he was floating in. But if that was the case, then for how long had he been floating in it?

The faint blue colour of his lips and cheeks wasn't makeup, that's for sure.

**XXXXX.....XXXXX**

I was sitting on my bed, chit-chatting with Midna and Tetra, when a flurry of knocks was heard over our door. Raising a brow, I stopped talking for a moment and headed over to the door. As soon as I opened it, though, Sheik stumbled inside.

"ZELDA!" he screamed.

A hand flew up to calm my beating heart. "What? Why are you screaming my name?" I chuckled.

"No time to explain, Link's in trouble." He grabbed my wrist and dragged me out, running.

Normally, I would have resisted, and demanded an explanation. But the simple phrase 'Link is in trouble' was enough to make my heart beat faster and spur me forward. Ignoring the fact that I was wearing a short, flying skirt, I ran faster than ever. I was running so fast that the boys who dared to look at me couldn't even get a glimpse of my underwear, if that's what they were hoping for.

Soon, faster than we were planning to, anyway, we made it to the boys' rooms, with Midna and Tetra confusedly following behind. Sheik hurriedly looked for the right key, with me breathing right over his neck.

"COME ON COME ON COME ON COME OOOOON!" I rushed him, feeling my heart beat faster than ever. If Sheik was panicking, then something was wrong... Terribly wrong.

When he finally got the door open, we both stumbled inside. I immediately spotted Dark's black t-shirt, and my eyes focused on his teary face when he turned around.

"Zelda, come on!" he motioned. I realized he was sitting on a chair he'd pulled in front of Link's bed.

"What's wrong with Link?" I asked, running for the bed.

"That's exactly why we called you here." Dark got up to leave me his place next to Link.

Holy fucking shit... Link!

My horrified gaze passed over his bruised cheek, to his faint blue lips. I shakily brought a hand to touch his non-bruised cheek. Cold. My heart stopped thundering in my chest, and I felt like I would faint. I've never been a big fan of horror movies...

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" I exclaimed, recognizing the symptoms. "How long has he been submerged?" I asked worriedly, feeling his wet clothes under the covers Dark had put over him.

"We don't know! We just walk into the room, and find him unconscious in the bathtub!" Sheik quickly explained. There was a knock on the door and he headed over to open it for Tetra and Midna to stumble in.

"Zelda!" Tetra exclaimed once inside.

"Tetra! Midna! We have a case of mild hypothermia!" I screamed, feeling the first tears of worry run down my cheek.

"Holy fuck!" Midna exclaimed, running for the bed, followed by Tetra.

"Okay. I need someone to go buy a few cups of coffee, with sugar in it!" I exclaimed, my 'leader' side taking over.

"Tetra and I will go." Sheik put his wallet in his pant's pocket, grabbing Tetra and running out.

"WARM, NOT HOT!" I screamed after them.

"KAY!" came the faint reply before the door closed.

"Okay, I need dry clothing, as well as a dry hat, and a scarf! GO GO GO!" I yelled at Dark and Midna.

"I'll go get a scarf and hat from your supply of winter clothes." Midna nodded, running out.

"I'll find him some dry clothes." Dark ran for their closet, rummaging quickly through the racks.

During that time, I opened the covers, a shudder rippling over my boyfriend's body. Then, I worked on getting his wet clothes off. Don't get me wrong, I'm not very interested in what's under his clothes, but we have to get him in new, dry clothes.

Dark then brought me a turtleneck and a spare pair of jeans, plus socks.

"Kay, now go get me some towels to dry him off." I ordered.

In less than a minute, he was back with a few towels that he threw at me. I'd already gotten his sticky wet shirt off, as well as the white tank top underneath. Now, I was staring in a horrified expression at the mass of black and blue skin surrounding the green stud piercing on his belly button.

"Ganondorf's work." Dark sighed, motioning to the bruises on his stomach.

"Seems someone re-opened the wound inside." I frowned, wiping a thin trail of blood running down the side of his mouth with my silky finger. It was barely visible, but it was still there.

"How did this happen...?" Dark sighed, burying his head in his hands as he sat down next to Link, on his bed.

There was a knock on the door that Dark answered. Midna came in with a dark purple toque and a pink scarf. "It's all I found." She shrugged.

"It'll do. Gimme." I demanded. She threw them at me, and I caught them, immediately putting the hat on Link's head, covering everything down to his ears. The scarf went around his neck. What? Heads and necks are where you lose the most heat from.

"Zelda, stop rubbing just his abs and get working on other places too." Midna reminded, seeing my hand with a towel idly wiping the water off of Link's abs for five minutes straight now.

"Uh... Thanks... Someone gimme his shirt." I put one of my hands out. Dark handed me the striped green and blue turtleneck he found for him. With a little bit of trouble, I pulled it on over him.

That's when Sheik and Tetra returned, barely knocking on the door. Dark and Midna ran to help them with the coffee cups they were holding. I didn't waste time and unbuttoned his jeans.

"Got the coffee." Tetra announced, grinning as she saw me slide Link's pants off.

"Thanks. Put it on the table, then get him to lean against the wall." I ordered, throwing his jeans away. I quickly wiped the dampness on his legs, then bit my lip as I touched a part of his boxers (don't get any ideas. I touched the strap around his waist). To my horror and surprise, I realized his boxers were wet.

With a slight smile I couldn't help, I turned to Sheik. "Get me one of Link's dry boxers." I couldn't muffle my laugh.

"You're kidding, right?" Dark gaped at me.

"Does this face look like it's kidding?" I lost the little smile I had to relieve the tension, showing him the most serious expression I could muster.

Sheik headed over and touched the strap around his waist. "It's wet..." he sighed in amusement.

"Oh Goddesses." Dark laughed, peering under the bed, taking out Link's suitcase. After rummaging through, he threw Sheik a grey boxer.

"You will never see this again in your teenage lives, girls." He warned, pointing at the boxer. "And Zelda, are YOU going to do it?" he couldn't muffle a chuckle.

"Sheik, come on, I'm his girlfriend."

"I'll do it, goddamn." Dark rolled his eyes seriously. "I don't think he'd appreciate knowing his girlfriend saw anything traumatizing early in her life. Maybe you should wait until you're twenty-one, first."

"Dark, come on, stop acting gay, and just do it. While you're here, debating who's gonna do it, the poor kid's dying, so get to it, lazy ass." Midna ordered.

"I'm not gay. I don't know why you keep saying so." Dark rolled his eyes tiredly as he sat down on the bed and pulled the covers up to Link's chin. "Girls, don't you DARE look, 'specially you, Mid. Don't defy my trust." He chuckled.

"Same there, Tet." Sheik nodded.

"SHUT UP AND DO IT BEFORE HE DIES!" I yelled, rolling my eyes.

"Okay." Dark laughed, sliding his hands under the covers. After a while, Link's wet boxers came flying out. "No one touch that." He warned, laughing, but still working. Then, he took the dry boxers, and worked on getting them on. It wasn't hard, and soon, he stopped, laughing. "I am triumphant!" he laughed.

"You are also gay." Sheik rolled his eyes, laughing along.

"Hey! My boyfriend isn't gay!" Midna amusedly objected.

"Okay guys, spare me the dark humour. I get you're trying to relieve the tension, and I'll add in." I sighed. "Unless he's submerged again right now, he's gonna be back by tomorrow morning." I announced.

"ZELDA'S A HERO!" Tetra cheered sincerely.

"Okay. Now. Pants." I rolled my eyes, even if I was a bit amused. Sheik handed me the jeans that I quickly slipped on. Then, I made quick work out of his socks. When he was finally done, I took a break.

"Help me lean him against the wall." I sighed. With Sheik's help, I made him lean against the wall. His head dropped lifelessly over his left shoulder. I held it up and whistled.

"Is the coffee warm?" I asked.

"Can I check?" Tetra chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "Go ahead, I doubt he'll be able to drink that much anyway." I grinned.

Tetra laughed and grabbed a cup, drinking. "It's actually perfect." She smiled.

"Cool. Gimme one." I ordered. The coffee started off in Tetra's hands and travelled in everyone's hands before it ended up in mine.

I leaned Link's chin up, and gulping down nervously, I carefully poured just a bit of coffee down his throat. Thankfully, he didn't react by coughing, or anything similar, so I started giving him bigger portions.

In the end, my back was hurting from leaning over him. I groaned in pain and amusement as I put the empty coffee cup back down on the metal table.

"Okay, we're good. I don't think he's eaten anything for a long time, and he had to eat stuff high on carbohydrates..." I explained.

"Cardo-what?" Dark piped in.

"Carbohydrates, you douche. It's anything like bread, cereal and pasta." I laughed, relieving some of the tension in the room. "So anyway, tomorrow morning, he'll have to eat those things mostly, but overnight, he should be good." I sighed in relief. "Plus, I randomly bandaged a few wounds I found on his arms while I undressed and re-dressed him." Everyone chuckled at that. "But he'll be okay now." I affirmed with a smile.

An applause broke through the right side of the room, started by Midna, then travelled over to Tetra, Sheik, and Dark in the end.

"Zel, you saved Link's life! You're a heroine!" Midna laughed.

I blushed. "He's my boyfriend! I don't want him to die!" I defended myself.

"We all know, dear." Tetra winked.

"Okay girls. It's nine o' clock! Shoo!" Dark pointed at the clock.

"Thanks for being such a gentleman, Dark." Midna rolled her eyes.

"What, he's right! Do you wanna be caught in the boys' dormitories after curfew?" Sheik backed Dark up.

"No, you're right. We'd better go make sure no hall monitors are outside. Coming, Zel?" Tetra asked.

My heart started thumping faster. Go, and sleep peacefully, not knowing how Link was recovering after a near-death experience? Obvious answer. Hell no!

"No. I don't give a damn what you think, I'm staying here tonight." I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"Zel, if the hall monitors catch you..." Sheik started.

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT THE HALL MONITORS THINK!" I roared angrily. "Link's struggling in there, and I'm going to be there for him till the very end!" I blew a raspberry at them.

"But we don't have an extra bed." Dark shrugged.

"I'll sleep with Link." I raised a brow, containing the urge to laugh.

"What the hell? Since when are girls so horny? Changing Link's pants and boxers, wanting to sleep with him..." Dark laughed.

"Shut up, Dark. I'm staying, and I'm going to lie down in the same bed as him, if that makes my point clearer." I chuckled.

"So we dressed him up for nothing?" Sheik caught onto the joke.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I laughed.

"We know, Zel. You can stay. We'll watch out for the hall monitors for you." Dark chuckled.

"Unfortunately, you guys have to go. If anyone comes in and checks on you, Zelda's in the bathroom." Sheik winked.

"Kay. Good night, boys." Midna waved, walking out.

"Seeya guys. And seeya, Zel. Please, don't come back pregnant to us." She laughed, heading out.

"Seriously?" Sheik asked once he closed the door.

"Yes, seriously." I got up and headed for the bathroom. "Now get to bed, we don't wanna arouse suspicion." I chuckled.

"Yes Ma'am." They replied, heading for the closets.

"Since when are you so obedient?" I asked as I rinsed my mouth, compromising for the lack of a toothbrush.

"You have no idea what we did with 'Commander Gaiden' yesterday." Dark briefly explained, laughing.

Sheik also chuckled. "Yeah, that was one awesome 'mission' yesterday." He mentioned.

"Alright, alright." I headed over and lied down next to Link, making sure his head was well set on the pillows before throwing my right arm around him, giving my back to the wall. Then, I set my head next to Link's shoulder and sighed in content.

"And what about the scissor?" Dark asked.

"Oh Goddesses, what now?" I asked.

"Seems like one of the wounds on his arm was caused by a curved-tipped scissor." Sheik replied.

"Please, just throw it away before I throw up." I shuddered again, feeling the content of my stomach coming back up my throat.

"Can do." I heard something being thrown into the trash.

"Thanks." I sighed. "And... you guys are the best friends Link could get. You're so... nice... I'll have to repay you one day." I smiled sadly.

"You can excuse us from tomorrow's classes. Your dad's the principal. That should do." Dark suggested as I heard an unclogging sound coming from the bathroom.

"Can do. It'll be a piece of cake. Besides, did you actually think I'd leave Link alone tomorrow? No way. At least I'll have some company." I giggled.

"Sweet! No school tomorrow!" Dark cheered.

"Okay, but until Link tells us what to do with this secret, we're keeping it...uh... a secret, kay? It's confidential! I'm sure Tetra and Midna will keep it, so we have to keep it too. When Link wakes up, we'll ask him what to do with it." I told them.

"Ma'am yes ma'am." The two boys' voices came.

I chuckled, cuddling closer to Link. Even if he was still recovering from a little bout of hypothermia (I'd seriously have to ask him how he ended up in there), the heat of our love made me comfortable, and I purred in content. Briefly kissing his neck as a 'good night' kiss, as well as a 'get well soon' kiss, I closed my eyes.

"Good night boys."

"Night Zellie."

And rocked by the sound of Link's heart's steady beating, I took a deep breath and sank into a restless sleep.

*****************

**Author Notes:**

**Okkay :D Finally finished editing this, and no cousins to annoy the hell outta me :) So hopefully, this is better ^_^ And I didn't think my A/N's for such an important chapter would be so short :O**

**Oh, PS: Looking up symptoms and treatements for mild hypothermia was a pain. Wikipedia screwed up everything X(**

**And the scene with Link sneaking out the window was kinda inspired by how WW Link could sidle along small ledges (I still don't get how he did it :O) And I think I'm gonna use it again to my advantage ^_^**

**So please review :D Seeya :D**


	6. Day 6: Move Along

**Author Notes:**

**I'm frickin late, I'm so sorry, but with school, I think we'll be expecting chapter 7 Thursday by the least X( I'm seriously not good with deadlines TT__TT I hope none of you are TOO mad at me :( Hey, look on the bright side. Like my unofficial beta-reader said, "I'd rather you post late with good content then post on time with crap." XD I like that quote, I think I'm gonna write it on my agenda in bold letters next to **

**"A thousands words won't bring you back; I know because I've tried. A tousand tears would not bring you back; I know because I've cried." XD I'm not the one for sappy romance lines, but this was so adorably cute, and it fit Link and Zelda so much! I picked it up on a random LoZ picture on deviantart XD**

**---Warning: Random rant about my fangirly agenda O_o---**

**Oh, and also "Blades will bleed, shields will shatter, but as the light fades, will the hero rise again...? Or will darkness reign...? The Legend Returns..." **

**And "I'm a proud Link fangirl. I love Linkin Park. So basically, I like anything with 'link' in it....... INTERNET LINKS! :D"**

**So yep, now you know what my agenda looks like ^^; Sorry for ranting so much about something so pointless ^^;**

**---**

**This chapter has a bit of seriousness in it, with crime scenes and all, so you've been warned XD**

**So... Once again, I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me, all, and hope you like it, I worked my butt off for this :)**

*********

Cold.

It was so cold.

And Pain.

It hurt so much.

I whimpered as I was brought back to life. My stomach was burning, testament that it had been over a day I hadn't eaten anything. My body was in pain and exhausted, testament of yesterday's events. And my limbs were cold, testament of… I wasn't dead, was I?

Slowly, I turned around, feeling my right side overcome by the only heat in my body. Something seemed to be leaning against it. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking rapidly to get used to the blinding light in the room.

The room.

Everything that had happened yesterday flashed back into my mind. Every single detail, from the moment I opened my door, to the moment I lost consciousness in the tub…

The tub.

Was that why I felt so cold? I could only remember being forced under the water. I decided to stop struggling to make it believe like I was already gone, but the freezing water was too much, and I remember I really lost consciousness then. That's when my uncle left.

My uncle.

That abusive bastard. I wished I could help him, but he's probably dead by now… Why? I never understood. What ever happened to him? I don't know. I just wished someone, my angel, could come and save me from this misery.

My angel.

Is that who was sleeping against my right side? My head moved a little and my eyelids fluttered open to be met with a blond head, its hands clinging desperately at my shirt. I heart flew away, and I sighed in content. My angel. Zelda.

As I whispered her name with a tiny smile, though, I felt her move. With another whisper, the wind carried her name to her ears, and she groaned, rubbing her eyes, getting up while yawning and stretching.

"Dark, Sheik, didn't I tell you not to wake me up?" she moaned sleepily.

"Zel…" I whispered again, just to hear her name on my lips.

"L…" she gasped, turning to me.

Even in my weak position, I flashed a smile.

"Hey Zellie." I chuckled hoarsely.

"Oh Goddesses. Link." she breathed, jumping over me.

I groaned in pain as her arm tackled my bruised stomach. "Ow." I complained, wincing.

She drew back, gasping. "I'm so sorry, Link!" she breathed, horrified. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"What's with the sudden concern?" I chuckled, pushing myself up.

"Link, are you feeling weird?" she suddenly asked, brows furrowing.

"Well… Now that you mention it…" I shivered slightly. "It is a tad bit cold in here. Can you close the window?" I asked.

She smiled and gently kissed me. "It's not the window, love. You're just recovering from hypothermia." She sighed sadly.

"Hypo-what?" I asked, still a bit dazed.

"Hypothermia, Link. It's when your body looses so much heat, and can't recover it, that it becomes lethal. Thankfully, you only had mild hypothermia." She sighed in relief.

"Kay…" I answered. Hypo-whatever must have happened when uncle forced me underwater. "So where are we?" I asked, looking around, my senses not having fully returned. My vision was still swaying a bit. And my stomach wasn't really helping, grumbling all the time.

"Your room, Link. Take a better look." She giggled, holding my arm, helping me sit up. I groaned in pain, but finally got to a sitting position, rubbing my eyes. The familiar walls of the room I shared with Dark and Sheik appeared before my eyes.

Speaking of them... "Where are Sheik and Dark?" I asked.

"They're probably gone to get us breakfast." She shrugged.

"Breakfast? What time is it?" I asked.

"Around nine in the morning." She answered with a smile.

"But… Aren't we Monday?" I asked, remembering yesterday was Sunday.

"Yeah." She raised a brow.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" It was my turn to raise a brow, now fully awake.

"Yeah, but since my daddy's the principal, I'll ask him later if Sheik, Dark and I could have the day off." She shrugged.

"What alibi will you give?" I asked, amused, but still fearing she tells him the truth. If they knew the truth, that is… Hopefully not…

"I'll tell him the semi-truth. I'll tell him you have a cold, and we wanted to be next to you if you needed anything." She shrugged.

Half my heart relaxed, thanking her that she wouldn't tell the real truth. But the other half sped up, beating nervously. "Half-truth?" I whispered in a scared, tiny voice.

She sighed sadly and took my hand in hers. "We all figured out by now." she simply said.

The simple sentence was enough to make my heart burst out of my ribcage. It didn't burst out, thankfully, but it was still thundering against it, three hundred miles an hour. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?" I whimpered in my same little, scared voice.

"No. Sheik, Dark, Midna, Tetra and I are the only ones who know about it." She moved closer to me, enlacing me, and pulling me into her lap.

Shamelessly, I put my head down against the base of her neck. Then, I cradled my hands on each other, and held my stomach. I pulled my legs up, leaning against her. I needed her scent. I needed her voice, I needed her love. She was all that mattered right now. Of course, my friends, who all acted like brothers and sister I'd never had, were very important to me as well. But she was my world, my heart, my soul, my everything.

"Why haven't you told us anything before?" she asked, kissing my hair, then running her fingers through it.

"You weren't supposed to know." I whimpered. "My troubles are too much to be introduced in your lives. You don't have to bear the same burden as I. I don't want you to share my demons, my nightmares, my pain." I whispered.

She sighed and kept playing with my hair. "Link, we're your friends, love. We have to know. You should have told us, this would never have happened if you had." She whispered sadly.

"And if HE found out I'd told you about it, and gotten his hands on me, I wouldn't be here today, trying to keep the tears bottled up inside of me in their place." I breathed the last part.

In the deathly silence of the room, though, she heard it. "It won't make you weak, love. Spill them out, I'm right here for you. Cry as much as you want." She shushed my protests.

She didn't have to say it twice. Against my will, nine years of pain and fear ran down my cheeks, soon wetting my face. I turned my head and sniffled, digging my face in her shirt. She, always keeping her calm, sadly smiled and kissed my hair over and over again.

When my supply of tears had run out, she rubbed her hands on my back, the way a mother would do to comfort her child. "Is it all out?" she whispered lovingly in my ear.

"Yeah." I breathed.

Seriously, I felt my heart flutter now. The burden was lifted, and all that was left to do now was regulate my breathing. My angel is amazing. In just a bout of time, she lifted nine years of worry from my heart.

"Thank you, Zel…" I sighed happily.

"Anytime, love." She whispered back.

Suddenly, there was a key turning sound, and the door opened. In came Dark and Sheik, laughing as they carried trays full of food.

When Dark spotted us, me cradled in Zelda's arms, he whistled. "Sorry, did we break a moment? We'll go back out and wait." He grinned, pulling Sheik out.

The latter didn't agree. He ripped out of Dark's feeble grip, but his tray down and ran for us, on my bed. "LIIIIINK!" he screamed like a little girl, jumping over me and Zelda, hugging us both, whether he wanted it or not.

"Hi Sheik." I greeted, smiling.

Before he even let go, another weight crashed down on us. "LIIIIINK!" Dark mimicked Sheik as he hugged us.

"Hey Dark." I muttered, crushed under both boys' weights.

"Get off, Dark. We're crushing the poor kid." Sheik chuckled.

Dark laughed, moving away, dragging Sheik with him.

"Oh dear DIN, Link! We were so WORRIED!" Sheik told me.

"Yeah. And Zelda wanted to change your underwear." Dark randomly popped in.

"She what?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Did not! Dark changed it in the end…" my girlfriend started laughing, blushing madly.

"Okay, you really have to tell me what happened." I groaned, moving up from my cradled position, to sitting on Zelda's lap. Her hands circled my waist as Sheik and Dark brought two of the four trays they'd gotten to my bed. They gave one to Zelda and I, and kept the other one.

"We'll tell you over breakfast. Eat up, it's been a while you haven't eaten." Dark remarked.

I jumped on the food like a mad wolf. "Since yesterday morning, if not more." I muttered, stuffing food in my mouth.

The boys watched with raised brows, and Zelda laughed at my appetite. What? You try surviving an entire day and a half without food! "It's okay Link, have as much as you want." Zelda giggled. "Sheik and Dark can always go get more." She laughed.

"Hey!" Sheik objected amusedly.

"Yeah, the lunch lady will probably think we're hogs." Dark shrugged.

"Does he look like he can walk?" Zelda objected, nudging me.

I was too busy eating to notice much though.

---

After breakfast, I told them what happened yesterday, from the moment the cursed man came into our room, to the moment he left me to die and walked away. No remarks, just me shuddering in Zelda's arms every time I started a new sentence.

And then, it was my friends' turn to tell me their side of the story. We were all sad, 'specially me, so the boys started commenting with stupid remarks to make me laugh. It actually worked. I was cracking up, even if I had almost died during the events they told me about.

Soon, Sheik and Dark got to the part where someone had to change my wet boxers. By then, I was looking in surprised awe at them. They had saved my life? A bunch of teens had saved my life? I love my friends.

"Okay, so Zelda touched your boxers…" Dark rolled his eyes, elongating the last syllable.

"I TOUCHED THE STRAP!" she objected from behind me.

"Anyway, she said it was wet so we had to change it." Sheik continued. "At first, she wanted to do it." The two boys started laughing.

"But then I decided to surrender my dignity and I did it for her." Dark shrugged.

"You didn't see anything, right?" I was trembling in embarrassment in Zelda's arms.

"Actually, I took it off and slid it on blindly." Dark chuckled.

"You're so gay." Sheik commented.

"I'M NOT GAY!" Dark yelled back amusedly.

"And…you didn't touch anything either, right?" I asked to make sure.

"Swear to Din Farore and Nayru, I saw, and touched, absolutely NOTHING!" Dark swore, putting a hand on his heart, the other in the air.

"I feel so violated…" I groaned, closing my eyes, but started laughing.

"Shut up, it's getting violated or die." Zelda justified their actions.

"Thanks smart ass. The only thing is, I've felt violated all my life, so there's nothing new." I chuckled darkly.

"Leave the past behind, move on to the future, dude." Sheik rolled his eyes.

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do." I grinned proudly.

But seems the past would not leave me alone just yet.

---

We were sitting on my bed, talking, when there was a knock on the door. Sheik raised a brow, and went over to open it.

Our surprise was infinite when, in the doorsill, we saw three police officers, and a man, my uncle's lawyer. They strode inside, looking around. The three police officers already dispatched around the room, one of them searching the room, while the two others headed for the bathroom.

"Link Gaiden?" the lawyer, Mr Nohansen, if I recall right, asked.

"Yes sir?" I whimpered, still shaken by this sudden interruption.

"Hi Link. I'm your uncle's lawyer, if you remember me." He smiled slightly.

"Yeah I do." I replied, my grip over Zelda tightening a bit more.

"Well, Link, today, I'm here to give you my sympathies, first, then get down to business." He sighed.

"Sympathies?" I whimpered. So he was serious?

"Yes lad. Your uncle was found dead today in his apartment. I'm sorry." He slightly bowed his head respectfully.

"I knew it." I whispered more to myself than anyone else.

"You knew he would die?" Mr Nohansen asked, confused.

"In a way." I replied.

"Alright then. I'm actually here to talk to you about your inheritance, and also about a little…complication… in his death." He winced slightly at it.

"I don't want any of my inheritance." I muttered distastefully.

"We'll see. But I'm afraid your friends cannot attend." He motioned to Sheik, Dark and Zelda.

I remembered the latter's words. She said they'd be there for me the entire time. So they would. "No, they're more concerned in this affair than you think. Let them choose. It's a free country, after all." I smirked sarcastically.

"Staying." Dark called out, serious for the first time I recalled since I'd known him.

"Staying." Sheik repeated, heading for us from the doorsill after closing the door.

"Of course I'm staying, Link." Zelda hugged me a bit, then drew back next to me.

"Okay… If you insist…" Mr Nohansen sighed. "Okay, so basically, since you were your uncle's last relative, all the inheritance comes to you. What's weird is that….he gave away most of his things… before dying." He hesitated on those words.

"I heard. He committed suicide. I know." I muttered.

"Alright then…" he bit his lip, but continued. "Well, it seems he's planned it for a long time now, since he took care of mostly everything, giving most of his stuff to friends, and all. But all the money comes back to you." He simply explained. Yeah, he planned it for the last nine years. No surprise there.

"I don't want any of it, I said." I glared at him viciously. "Give it away to some charity. I'll donate it all to the Castle Town Children's Hospital, or something like that." I told him. It's true. No matter how much money came to me, I refused to touch even a single rupee from his tainted inheritance. I would forget him, I swore, but this really wasn't helping here.

"But you're his last relative!" he repeated, surprised. "Everything he owns normally comes to you!" he told me, again.

"And I said I didn't want to even touch any of his money." I growled.

"You sure have some deep ties with your uncle." He muttered, raising a brow at my attitude.

Yep, well, for some reason, I felt angry. Angry outside, lost on the inside. I don't know why. I knew something bad was about to happen.

I could foretell the future, it seems!

"Sir! WE HAVE A DISCOVERY! There is pink water in the bathtub, pink with blood!" one of the officers called out nervously.

"I want a DNA sample, now! Separate the blood and the water, I want to know who the blood belongs to!" the leader answered, ignoring us.

He did a good choice. My friends and I had all stopped breathing, frozen in our places. Above all, I felt like I would die. My face paled, my expression turned into a horrified gasp, and I completely froze over, not even daring to breathe.

"You forgot to drain the water?" I heard Sheik whisper through his teeth.

"YES I DID! SO KILL ME!" Dark muttered back nervously. "Besides, it's evidence, we can't destroy evidence!" he argued.

Sheik calmed down. "You're right. Sorry." He sighed.

"Sir! There is also a pair of bloody scissors in the garbage can, sir!" the other officer suddenly called.

"Alright! Scan the two samples, I want to know if they're the same!" the lead policeman answered, and then finally turned to us. "What are you kids hiding?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" we all immediately answered nervously.

"Don't act innocent, something's going on here, and we're gonna find out. In the end, you might even get arrested if it's something important." The lead officer told us.

I heard Zelda squeak in fear, and I moved her closer to me, circling my arms around her. "Don't worry, love. I won't let anything happen to you." I whispered in her ear.

She shuddered, but nodded. "I'm just afraid for you, Link." she whispered back. "I don't want anything to happen to you either…" she muttered.

"It's okay, Zel. Whatever happens to me, it doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't happen to you either." I kissed her hair, and then turned to the policemen. Though trying to conceal my fear and worry, I couldn't help but gasp when the analyze results came in.

"It's the same blood, sir!" one of the officers replied, the other one scribbling it down on a notepad.

"Okay then, Link." the lead officer turned to me. "I need you to tell me who was here yesterday night. You obviously know about this, and you're not telling us, so we'll just connect the dots, deal?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes sir…" I muttered, frowning sadly.

"So who was here yesterday night?" he asked as the other officer stood ready to write on the pad.

"I was here…" I excluded the mention that I wasn't in a position to take part in the activities, though. "Then, there was Zelda." I gently nudged my girlfriend, who shuddered a bit more. "And there was Sheik and Dark." I pointed to my two best friends who looked worriedly back at me. "And there were two of Zelda's friends, Midna and Tetra." I finished.

"They're in class, I presume?" Mr Nohansen asked.

"Yes sir." I nodded.

"Call them." He motioned towards the officer who wasn't doing anything. "What class, Link?" he asked.

"328" I muttered. The officer nodded and ran out of the room.

Then, the lead officer turned back to us. "I need a blood sample from everyone to see who's blood that is." He simply told us, opening the suitcase they'd brought with them. Inside, he fumbled for something, then, to our pure horror, he took out a huge needle. After sterilizing it and making sure it worked, he put on plastic gloves and turned to us. "Who's first? Everyone's gonna get it." He raised a brow.

No one moved. Seriously! Raise your hand if you want a fucking huge needle shoved into your skin to draw blood! What a question.

"Alright then." He sighed, motioning at Dark and Sheik. "You boys are up first. Come on." He groaned.

Sheik moved up, but Dark stood in his place, frozen in pure horror. So those midnight talks between boys had been important after all. Now, Sheik and I both knew that Dark was deathly afraid of needles. Last time they had to give him a vaccine, his parents, plus a couple of nurses, had to hold him down so he wouldn't move while the doctor gave him his shot.

So I looked at his terrorized face as Sheik tried convincing him to get up. "Come on Dark." He muttered, pulling on his hand.

"No." he whimpered, terrorized out of his wits.

My heart broke all over again. They shouldn't be forced to face their biggest fears because I was rebellious and mule-headed. It was my fault they were dragged into this, I could at least spare them everything that could be spared. Besides, Dark would probably faint before he actually got to the officer's side.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up. "Dark doesn't have to get his shot. I admit it's my blood, on both the bathtub walls and the scissor." I told them, keeping a steady gaze even if my heart was thundering a thousand miles an hour.

The three present men raised brows, but the lead officer motioned to me. "We need proof." He motioned at my arm.

I sighed, but rolled up the left sleeve of the turtleneck Zelda had made me wear yesterday night. Then, I extended my arm to the officer. He cleaned the surface of the vein on my wrist with alcohol, and then took his shot. It stung lightly, compared to what I'd been through these past nine years.

After a moment, the officer took it back out and put a little band aid on the little hold on my wrist. I winced, but shut up as I headed for my bed, with Zelda on it. Dark and Sheik were on the latter's bed.

"We'll analyse this, you can continue, Mr Nohansen." The officer said, heading for the bathroom, suitcase, needle and all. It was only then that Dark relaxed a bit.

"Very well then, Link. So I'm here also to talk to you about his death note." He fumbled through his files for a moment, and then took out a paper slid cautiously in a plastic wrap. Then, he cleared his throat, put on his glasses, and started reading. "I wish I'd never have to take this step. But I can't take anything anymore. Everything dear to me is gone. It's about time I went as well." He started.

"That's what he wrote before he killed himself?" I cut in.

"Yep." He nodded, and then continued. "If only my wife, or siblings hadn't died, I'd still be breathing right now. But I don't regret this. Everything had been planned before. And now the plan has been put into action." He coughed once.

"You mean be wouldn't have committed suicide if he had anyone left in the world?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's what it sounds like. Funny thing is, though, that you are still alive. But that comes later." He told me, raising a brow. "So anyway, here continues. And I don't leave anything worthwhile behind. I don't care anymore. The only thing that matters to me now is to join my wife in the Sacred Realm. Think what you want, even my nephew means nothing to me. I'll make sure I stay in his memory forever, then disappear. All I cherished is up there, exactly where I'm heading right now." he read.

"I'm not sure he'll head up there with all he's done." I muttered to myself.

"Excuse me?" Mr Nohansen asked.

"Nothing. Please carry on." I urged him.

He raised a brow again, adjusted his glasses, but kept reading. "The alcohol might be toying with me, and it's probably too late to stop now. Before I die of natural causes, painfully and slowly, I'll end it here. It's all I have left to say. I'm coming, Impa." He finished, putting the plastic wrapped paper away. "And that's what we found in a note next to him when he was found dead." He bowed his head sympathetically again.

Why? I don't want anyone's sympathy! I can take care of myself! Today's society is so protective, safety first, and all that shit! Why do they care so much? They don't even know me, goddamn! I can take care of myself! Last time I checked, that's what I've been doing these past few years! I DON'T WANT ANYONE'S PITY! LEAVE ME ALONE!

My mental battle raged on as I glared daggers at him, clenching my teeth. Before I had time to reply, there was a knock on the door. Dark went over to open it, and was met with the orange head of his girlfriend, plus Tetra, and the policeman escorting them.

"Mid!" he exclaimed, hugging her.

"Shut up, I heard this is official business." She warned him, though smiling.

Tetra simply walked for Sheik, looking around, scared. Once safe in his arms, she whimpered. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Something about yesterday's events. Don't worry, we'll all be okay." He hushed her as the attention was directed at the main officer.

"The blood is the same. Now we'll ask you, Link." he turned to me. "What happened yesterday night? Because we all know your uncle came here, before going home, and committing suicide. So what did you do here?" he asked.

I looked around. All my friends were looking at me intently. I was torn. I didn't know what to do. Telling them the truth was what one part of me HAD to do, but telling them would reveal my secret, and all the complicated events behind it would unfold.

But I realized it was too late. It was game over. I'd just lost my last life.

"I don't want to Zel." I whispered.

"It's okay, love. Tell them. It's for your own good. Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow', Link. It's okay. We're all here for you." She encouraged me.

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Fine. Can I have the scissors?" I asked, trying to contain the defeated look on my face.

"It's evidence. You can't touch it." The officer objected.

"Fine, you take it." I rolled my eyes, and then pulled on the left sleeve of my green turtleneck, passing my arm out, and over it, revealing the bunch of neat bandages Zelda had rolled around my arm. "You're good with conclusions, what can you make out of this?" I asked, taking off the bandages to reveal the hole, with the rip down that went down to my elbow.

A collective gasp ran through everyone who wasn't there yesterday during the bandaging. "What the…?" the officer raised a brow.

"Take the scissor and conclude something already. It's cold in here." I shivered.

"I don't need to take the scissor. Tell us, did the scissor make the wound?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.

The sarcastic side I couldn't help came up. "Jee, took ya a while to find out!" I exclaimed, faking being a shocked.

"It would have been faster if you just told us!" the officer yelled at me.

"Ugh! Fine! Here's something to make up for it!" I cried, taking the rest of my shirt off. I then pointed at my bruised stomach. "Not all of them were made by the school bully!" I yelled. Then, I showed them a diagonal scar that ran from my right shoulder to half of my arm. "Had that since I was eight!" I rolled my eyes. Before they had time to reply, I turned around, and showed them a scar that ran horizontally from one shoulder to another. "Had that since I was eleven." I replied in a casual tone.

"Link?" Zelda asked, but I ignored her.

"Had this since I was twelve, or thirteen, I can't quite remember." I showed them a scar that was located on my right side. Then, I bent down and took my socks off. "Had this since I was nine." I showed them the flurry of scars on the top of my foot. Then, tears streaming down my face, I looked them straight in the eye, and pointed at my heart. "And I've had this scar since the day my aunt died, since I was six." I told them. "Happy now?" I asked tonelessly.

The entire room shut up for a while. Everyone, from the police officers, to my friends, to Mr Nohansen. They all gaped at me while I sobbed quietly, eyes facing the ground, shivering because of the lack of a shirt on my body.

Soon, Zelda snapped out of her horrified trance and grabbed me by my waist, pulling me back on the bed. Then, she pulled the turtleneck back over my head, and made sure it was well over my arms before she pulled me on her lap. I didn't resist, merely fall into her arms like a useless rag doll, sobbing.

After a while, Mr Nohansen took his glasses off, putting them in their case. "And you claim he did those all to you?" he asked in a tad shaken, but steady voice.

"I KNOW he did all those to me. Proof. Take out his death note again, please." I growled.

The lawyer raised a brow, but complied, taking out the note in a plastic sheet. Then, he handed it to me carefully. I received it, and looked for the passage I was looking for. "There." I pointed my finger at what I wanted to say. "Everything dear to me is gone." I quoted, then scanned a bit further to find the next passage. "The only thing that matters to me now is to join my wife in the Sacred Realm. Think what you want, even my nephew means nothing to me. _I'll make sure I stay in his memory forever, then disappear_. All I cherished is up there, exactly where I'm heading right now." I accented, handing the paper back to Mr Nohansen afterwards so he could see as well. "You see? Coupled with the alcohol he started drinking after Auntie died, it gives these results." I motioned to my scarred body.

"Well, it's a whole new case now." Mr Nohansen sighed, putting the document away. "Of course, since your uncle is no longer between us, we cannot take him to court. Instead, we'll give you compensation. The crown will provide you a lawyer, since you are still a minor, and we will set the date of the court-material later. Plus, there are high chances that the Crown lawyers will sue the school administration, but we'll see about that when they actually learn about you." He sighed

"Okay, wait." The lead police officer cut in. "So we're dealing with a case of child abuse?" He asked.

"Seems so." Mr Nohansen answered.

"And you kids knew about it?" he pointed at all my friends, who froze.

"Not really." Sheik rolled his eyes.

"Truth, boy. I'm a police officer, if I have the right motives, I can send you to jail." He threatened. I almost FELT Tetra's distress as she clutched Sheik's shirt tighter, and his grip on her became harsher.

"We had our assumptions yesterday night." Dark tried.

"Assumptions? Or were you sure?" he asked.

"Assumptions! Promise!" Midna objected for her boyfriend.

"So, you had assumptions, and you didn't call the police?" he asked.

I felt my friends shrink. I'd only heard what had happened, I hadn't been there, so I couldn't really tell. But I knew they were in such frenzy, and also because my phone cord was cut, they forgot to telephone the police. Teenage minds, I wouldn't have done better if I was in their place.

"We...forgot..." Tetra admitted, gaze downcast.

"YOU FORGOT? YOU FORGOT!? THAT'S NOT AN ALIBI, YOUNG MISSY!" the police officer roared. Tetra squeaked, all her tomboy attitude fluttering away in a second, and she jumped into Sheik's arms, trembling in fear.

"The phone cord was cut!" Sheik snarled at the officer.

"NOT AN ALIBI EITHER! YOU COULD'VE USED A CELLPHONE, OR GONE TO ANOTHER ROOM TO CALL!"

"Officer, calm down. We'll see of it later. Now Link, we need you all to tell us every single event that unfolded yesterday, in all the sincerity, and details. Hide nothing, add nothing, alright?" he urged.

After gulping down nervously, and getting comfortable in Zelda's arms, I nodded. "Kay. Well, it started yesterday, and my uncle came here with the alibi of being parent visit day..." I started, knowing I'd have to relive everything over again.

---

"...That's when I lost consciousness. And I guess he left..." I finished with a sigh, wiping away a random tear sliding down the corner of my eyes.

"What time was that about around?" the officer, now calmed down, asked as the other noted down everything I said.

"It should have been around seven at night, judging by the colour of the sky." I mused out loud.

"We received the call from his uncle's neighbour around ten o' clock." The policeman behind the main officer pointed out.

"Very true..." he muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And what about after that? You didn't lay in the bathtub until morning, did you?" he asked.

"No, but that's not my side of the story." I pointed at my friends, giving them encouraging smiles.

"Well, around seven past fifteen, Dark and I walked into the room." Sheik started. "And Dark stepped on the scissors." He motioned at the scissor now put in an identified plastic bag. "And we kinda freaked out a bit, but kept looking for Link." He stopped there, cut by the police officer's annoying voice.

"You SAW the bloody scissors, and STILL DIDN'T CALL THE POLICE?" he choked on his words.

"Hey, it was dark inside, and the blood looked just like paint! We didn't wanna call the police for paint, so we looked around for a while!" Dark objected.

"You kids are unbelievable." The officer muttered.

"So anyway, we wandered into the bathroom and found him floating in the bloody water, which I'm guessing is still there." Sheik winced in disgust. "And Dark sent me to find Zelda while he got Link out of there." He motioned at Dark.

"Well, I pulled him out of the water and carried him to his bed, stacked him under his covers and waited for Zelda, because she's our medical expert here." He motioned at her.

"Oh dear Din, you've got to be kidding me!" the officer muttered. "So you STILL didn't call 911!?" he groaned.

"We were too worried!" Sheik and Dark replied in unison.

"Carry on." Mr Nohansen cut in before the officer had a chance to yell at them again.

"So Sheik brought me into the room, with Midna and Tetra, and I quickly diagnosed he had a mini-little bout of mild hypothermia." Zelda accented on the 'small bout' concept.

"Hypothermia, and you didn't call anyone for help?" the police officer cursed.

"We were so carried with the momentum when Zelda started giving orders that we forgot." Midna confessed.

"Oh, so little missy thinks she can play nurse, can she?" the officer growled, looking menacingly at Zelda, glaring daggers at her, looking like he wanted to bite her head off right now.

"Hey! Last time I checked, she was all the chance Link had until the nurses came, if we'd...remembered to call them..." Tetra blushed, immediately wishing she hadn't said it.

"ANOTHER REASON! WHY ARE YOU KIDS SO UNBELIEVABLY DIM-WITTED???" he cursed, pacing around the room.

"Now now, officer, don't insult them." Mr Nohansen cut in for us.

"Yeah, _officer_!" I laced his title with venom. "Last time I checked, I WAS STILL ALIVE!" I yelled at him, angry that he burst out at Zelda for no reason at all.

"IN WHAT CONDITION?" he countered.

"I FEEL PERFECTLY FINE! ZELDA SAVED MY LIFE, SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE IF THEY'D PANICKED AROUND!" I calmed down a bit. "So maybe they forgot to call the 911. It's because they were afraid. You can't blame them for caring. It's partly their fault, but they covered it up. They saved my life. If they hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here right now, trying to prove my point." I sighed. "Now can we NOT talk about this?

"You FEEL fine! Doesn't mean you ARE! We've had many cases of silent deaths throughout the year! Who says your friends' bad actions didn't make you its next victim?" he spat.

"Officer, please, no need to get so provocative. We're just having a debate here." Mr Nohansen cut in again.

"Fine." I spat back. "Call the 911. Call the emergency, ambulance, and all. In the end, it'll just be a waste of time." I turned away indignantly.

"That was your friends' jobs before they attempted to touch anything on you!" he argued.

"Oh, fine. Zelda, do you have your wallet with you?" I asked, turning around to her.

She nodded and took out the pink wallet, handing it to me. "Here you go, Link." She whispered, silently begging me not to do anything stupid.

"Thanks." I opened it, looking for something. When I finally found the card I was looking for, I took it out and practically shoved it in the officer's face. "In your face. Zelda's taken four years of first aid, and has gotten a diploma, signed by the Minister of Health. This is just the proof she can carry around. She can show you the diploma, if you'd like. You got nothing against that." I smirked, giving him the card so he could inspect it.

"Accredited or not, she still should have called the 911." The officer gave me back the card with a distasteful expression.

I smirked again and put it back into the wallet, giving it back to Zelda later on. She nodded thankfully with a smile, and put it in her pocket.

"So basically, you faked evidence..." he started numbering the points on his fingers.

"WE DIDN'T FAKE EVIDENCE!" came the collective reply form all of us.

"Yes you did. You also threw away the scissors, which is getting rid of evidence, which is also a crime. Then, you didn't call the police for a criminal affair, even when you knew exactly what was going on..."

"WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON!"

"Ever heard of entangled senses?"

"Or adrenaline-pumped instincts?"

"Well, your first instinct should have been to call 911 immediately, phone or no phone. All you had to do was use another room's phone, or a cell." He shrugged, pointing at the cut cord of the phone. "So those are not good alibis." He glared at them.

"WE DIDN'T KNOW!"

"IT'S NOT OUR FAULT!"

"YES IT IS! THINKING YOU COULD DO EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN!"

"OUR MINDS WERE TOO BLURRED BY CONCERN FOR LINK!"

"YEAH! WE WERE TOO WORRIED TO THINK RIGHT!

"THAT'S NOT EVEN AN ALIBI!"

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

That last sentence seemed to stop the raging battle of words between the officer and my friends. I plopped down on my bed, groaning tiredly, massaging my forehead and temples. "Everyone, please, just shut the fuck up and gimme a break!" I groaned. "Can we NOT talk about this anymore?" I asked hopefully. "I'm still stressed about this, and this is not helping. Can we report this to whenever the trial for my so called compensation is? By the way, is there any way I can avoid compensation?" I asked, plopping my head only back up, looking at the lawyer.

"You want no inheritance, want to forget this entire ordeal, and want to compensation? That makes no sense, Link! At least let an adult make the rational choice for you!" he argued.

I tiredly groaned and plopped back down on my bed. "I DON'T WANT ANYONE'S GODDAMN PITY! I JUST WANNA START ALL OVER AGAIN!" I sighed. "I just wanna forget my past life, and pretend I am reborn. Can't my compensation be something on the banks of forgetting this entire thing and pretend it never happened?" I asked, knowing the response already.

"It's a criminal affair, Link. It can't be forgotten so easily. And I understand your feelings, but you're still a minor, so let an adult do the decisions for you." He told me.

"Last time I checked, this minor took care of himself when his drunken uncle did nothing but beat him. Last time I checked, this minor worked his ass off to live the life he wished he had. Last time I checked, this minor ran off to school on his own, paying everything from the hard work he had accomplished. Last time I checked, this minor is still alive and...somewhat well, despite the lack of a responsible adult in his life." I countered.

"Alright Link. We'll leave you alone for now. The social services are gonna eat our heads off, but I'll call you when we set the date for the trial, alright?" he asked, getting up from the chair he'd been occupying for a while. "Come officers." He motioned to the policemen.

"Don't try to act like heroes next time, kids." He warned us, a bit more gently this time. "Like I heard missy here say before." He pointed at Zelda, who shrank in my arms. "Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the little voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'. Remember that, and next time, no matter how dangerous the situation, think before you act. Good day, kiddoes." He smiled sadly at us, and then exited the room.

"Goodbye Link. I'll talk to you later. Like I said, the crown and social services will provide you a lawyer in this case, so no worries. Good day." Mr Nohansen smiled one last time, and then closed the door behind him as they all exited.

There was a huge, pounding silence the entire room for a few minutes. Then, everyone's heads turned into my direction simultaneously.

I bore the gazes for a while, but when it was too much, I chuckled sheepishly. "I'm hungry, who's up for lunch?" I asked, grinning sheepishly.

My friends all gaped at me, silently saying "How could you think of your stomach when we barely escaped being arrested!" it seems. I blushed.

"So maybe that wasn't the best approach..." I muttered.

"You got that right." Sheik muttered.

"Uh..." I was about to reply, but there was a knock again. Raising a brow questioningly, I headed over and opened the door.

In the entrance stood the tall figure of a man bearing a huge frown, face red from anger.

"Mr Lighte?" we all gasped.

"Daddy?" Zelda gasped for her own response.

"Come in, Sir." I stuttered, holding the door open for him.

"Thank you." He muttered, walking in. We all guessed we'd get an earful. Once I'd closed the door, he burst out. "HOW COULD YOU BE SO INCONSIDERATE?" he yelled.

"What do you mean, dad?" Zelda only dared to ask.

"You almost had Link killed, when everything to get him proper treatment was right under your hands! The nurses, the phone! Everything!" he growled menacingly.

"But...dad..." Zelda objected.

"NO BUTS MISSY! I was expecting more from you, Zelda..." he sighed.

"But dad, I saved his life!" she objected.

"Not without risking it first! I really thought this over, but you have all disappointed me." He sighed sadly, turning to Tetra and Midna. "At least you girls! You were very good students! Why did you betray my trust?" he sighed. "I wish I wouldn't have to do this, but you two have a copy for tomorrow. Nothing more, since you weren't very present, and only followed orders, but for tomorrow, I want the sentence 'I will be more responsible next time' copied a hundred times." He then turned to Sheik and Dark. "As for you boys, you have detention tonight. You'll simply stay in class from six to ten. I don't care if it's past curfew, tomorrow's the 'welcome back to school' dance, so you would have been waking up late anyway." He shrugged.

"What?" Zelda and I exclaimed.

"As for you two, you are a bit special. Zelda, I want you to go to your personal chambers right now, and you will not budge until tomorrow morning." He ordered.

"Does that mean I'm...?"

"Yes, you're grounded young lady. Like many parents say, go to your room right this instant! I forbid you from seeing anyone until tomorrow!" he ordered, pointing at the door. "As for you, mister Gaiden, you were a victim, so I'll let it slide for now. Not next time, though." He muttered.

"Sir!" I objected. "THAT'S NOT FAIR! You're giving detention to everyone who saved my life, and are excluding me? NO!" I stepped in front of Sheik and Dark. "I WON'T TAKE IT! If they're going down, I'm going down with them!" I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"..."

---

And that's how I ended up in detention, with an extra hour for 'being impolite'. Well, at least Sheik and Dark also had the extra hour.

"Hey Link, that was really cool of you, to stand up like that." Dark whispered to me from my left as the teacher who was supposed to be looking over us dipped into her book, cut off from the world.

"No prob." I replied absently, my head in my hands as my mind ran over everything that had happened so fast these days. My feelings were burning, pricking my eyes with tears. I regretted so much, I didn't know where to start. Everything, from my physique, to my feelings, to my mentality had been corrupted. And now, in the silence of detention room, I could finally think straight. Wish I didn't. The regrets burned my mind down to a crisp, slowly, but steadily.

"You okay, Link?" Sheik whispered from my right, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I muttered in an unconvincing tone.

"You don't sound fine." Dark commented.

"I'm just…tired…" I whispered, turning my head to hide the few tears rolling down my cheeks, sniffling unconsciously.

"You crying?" Sheik asked, poking me, concerned.

"No." I brushed his hand off, sniffling again.

"Dude, you're crying." Dark stated obviously, putting a hand on my left shoulder as Sheik did the same for my right.

"So what if I am?" I muttered harshly.

"No one said you couldn't." Sheik shrugged.

"Thanks for giving me the right to cry." I growled.

Dark sighed. "I think someone needs a hug." He chuckled, getting up, but heading for the teacher instead of giving me the 'hug' he mentioned.

He started arguing with the teacher for a while. I turned my attention away to cry my tears gently, but Sheik watched him curiously. Soon, Dark turned around and walked for us with a smile. "She gave us the permission to go to the bathroom." He chuckled. Then, he turned to me and put his arms around mine, pulling." Come on, Link." he groaned. "Even if you're lighter than me, you're still a bit heavy, you know." He muttered.

"I'll help." Sheik quickly caught on as he pulled my chair away and put his arms around my waist, pulling me towards the door. I didn't object, simply facing the ground and crying, looking like I was being dragged to my death.

---

Once they finally pulled me into the bathroom, they gathered their strenght and lifted me up on the sink's cement structure. I still didn't move, trying to stop the tears streaming down my eyes. Unsuccessfully, may I add.

"Okay Link. It's okay, cry as much as you want." Dark whispered.

"No!" I objected, trying to wipe my wet cheeks, but every time I was successful, new tears would replace the old ones quickly.

"Do you wanna talk about stuff?" Sheik asked, holding one of my hands.

"No. It's okay. Everything's fine." I muttered unconvincingly.

"Dude, that's like saying 'My name isn't Link' or something equally senseless. We can all see something's wrong, and you know it." Dark pointed out.

"It'll go away… Soon… It'll go away soon." I whimpered, pulling my knees up to my face, setting my arms around it and putting my chin against my legs, masking the lower part of my face.

The boys exchanged worried glances, then pushed themselves up on the sink's block, one on each side, and leaned over, hugging me.

"It's okay, Link. Take it all out." Sheik encouraged me.

I bit my lip, trying to contain all the screams I wanted to unleash, everything I wanted to say, every tear I wanted to cry. My sorrow and regret were too much to be ignored anymore, and my best friends knew that. I could never thank them enough for trying to help.

But now, the tears accumulating in my eyes were threatening to blow them up. The pressure in my head from keeping my sorrow in was unbearable. The burning lump in my throat from trying to keep my screams at bay was very painful.

I gave up. Like the weak, pathetic coward I am, I gave up.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" I yelled, bursting out into noisy tears after that.

"Can't take what, Link?" Dark asked, seemingly unfazed by my outburst.

"LIFE!" I replied in the same tone.

"Yes, you can, you're strong, courageous, smart, you have everything. You can do anything if you just have the will to do it." Sheik explained, massaging my back.

"NO! NONE OF THAT IS TRUE! I'M WEAK AND PATHETIC, AND I ALWAYS RELY ON OTHERS FOR HELP! I USE THE PEOPLE AROUND ME, THEN DUMP THEM AWAY TO CONTINUE ON! I'M NOT STRONG AND BRAVE, I'M A SCREWED UP, PATHETIC ALIBI FOR A HUMAN!" I cried.

"That's not true, and you know it's not. Don't be self-degrading, Link. You're a great person with great qualities, a few weaknesses, but nobody's perfect, you know. Truth is, I admire you, Link." Dark blushed.

"You shouldn't. I'm a sad attempt at a living being, and am in no position to be anyone's idol." I muttered.

"No, you're not. You have the most amazing character I've ever seen within someone. You always know how to act properly in every situation…" he started, but I cut him off.

"I DON'T know how to act perfectly in every situation. I'm a failure at life. If I curl up somewhere and die, I'd probably do the world a favour." I muttered sadly.

"Don't you say that." Sheik hissed, his grip on me tightening. "Link, you're no failure, and you seriously should not be suicidal right now, it's not a very good idea." He tried cheering me up.

I stopped crying for a moment to look at him with the sides of my lips barely visibly curled up in a light smile. "But I don't have anyone left anymore…" I whispered sadly, turning away. "Every single one of my family members are gone, all the way from cousins I never had, to uncles who committed suicide, from grandparents who died before I was born. I have no relatives left in the world. I feel so alone and unprotected now." I shivered.

"Link, it's okay." Dark hugged me tighter. "I know we'll never replace the ones you keep dear in your heart, but you're now a proud member of the Hyrule High family. From the day you applied here, you became an honorary member of this huge family of brothers and sisters. You're one of us now, and despite the lack of real siblings, we'll still love you like they would have if they were here today." He explained gently.

"You guys ARE my new life, you guys ARE my family. But I just keep wishing that I could have real siblings. At least anyone with a family tie with me. Which is why even my uncle's death cuts deeply. Abusive or not, he was all I had left, and like I said, now that he's gone, I feel left out and cold in this unknown world." I shuddered sadly.

"The man HAD no life. No offence, but it's a good thing he's dead. Don't you see? He never cared. He beat you senseless because he didn't care what happened to you. You shouldn't think of it anymore either." Sheik rubbed my back in soothing motions.

"I wish I could, I'm desperately begging my mind to forget it and start anew, but I just keep saying it was my fault he died. Maybe if I hadn't been so present in his life, he wouldn't have committed suicide…" I convinced myself.

"You kidding? Link, after your aunt died, he had no will to live anymore. If you weren't there, which we are all now wishing you weren't, it would have just served to make him commit suicide earlier. Whether you were there or not doesn't make a difference for him. It apparently did make a difference to you, though." Dark bit his lip.

"It does make it different. Maybe if I'd been there to try and control his alcohol consumption, he wouldn't have suicidal ideas after all." I sighed.

"Link, you were there, and you saw what happened." Sheik gently patted the scissors wound on my left arm. "If you were there while trying to control what he 'liked' doing best, then it would have extended over a little cut, it would have gotten much worse. Hell, who knows, it could have passed the boundaries of physical abuse and gotten into something new." All three of us shuddered, trying not to think of what he hinted at.

"I understand. I just wish I could have done something about it." I blinked, the tears in my eyes slowly dripping onto my sleeves, wetting them.

"You couldn't. The man was dead set. There was nothing you could do. The important thing now is that you're safe and protected, loved and cared for, surrounded by friends, best friends who would give anything for you. Think of it, and tell me if saving your uncle to live with him is worth sacrificing all this." Dark told me, motionning to Sheik and himself.

I stopped talking for a while. He was right. I needed to move on. Their loyalty and dedication surprised me. I wouldn't let their efforts go to waste.

"Thanks for sticking with me, guys. I don't know how you can bear my incessant crying and whimpering." I chuckled, drying the last little pearls that were waiting to slide down my cheeks.

"You're our best friend, Link. You're so much fun to be around, we couldn't bear NOT to be with you." Sheik chuckled.

"And you guys are the best friends I've ever met in my life, the brothers I never had, the family I wished I had, and the coolest people around. I don't know what I'd do without you." I sniffled down my last ounce of sorrow, and smiled.

"That's the spirit." Sheik encouraged.

"Okay, are you feeling better now?" Dark asked.

I grinned. "Hell yeah!" I exclaimed amusedly.

"THAT'S THE LINK WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE." The two boys hugged me as we jumped off the sink and headed for the door.

"Yep, now we should seriously head back to detention. I think the teacher's pissed at us." I chuckled.

"Yeah. Promise you'll be okay?" Sheik asked.

"Promise. I'm going to move on, leave the past behind, screw whatever happened before and get on with my life the way I want it to be." I grinned.

"Hey, I just thought of the perfect song, it actually speaks about it. It's about a guy encouraging someone to move along. Want me to sing it to you?" Dark asked excitedly.

"Dark, please, no, he just recovered." Sheik groaned amusedly.

"Please! Come on! I swear I'll try my best!" Dark made a pouting face at me.

I laughed. "Go ahead, Dark." I allowed him as he cleared his throat.

"Okay, so it goes _When all you gotta keep is strong, move along, move along, like I know ya do. And even when your hope is gone, move along, move along, just to make it through. When everything is wrong, we move along…_" he stopped to catch his breath. "_When everything is wrong, we move a-LOOOONG!_" he sang the last syllable way off-key, and Sheik and I had to close our ears until he stopped.

When he finally did, though, I started laughing and clapping. "THAT WAS AMAZING! I never thought you could actually sing that well." I chuckled.

"It's a talent. I just choose to ignore it for humour's sake sometimes." He chuckled.

"And that's why you sang the last syllable way off-key?" Sheik grumbled amusedly.

"Yep. For humour's purpose, seems it worked." He winked at me.

I breathed in a deep breath of air that didn't get caught in my throat, the very first one since the day my uncle came to see me. "It sure did, Dark." As we walked inside the detention room once again, I smiled for what seemed like the very first time. "It sure did…"

**************

**Author Notes:**

**Okay :) The song was actually _Move Along_ by All-American Rejects. It hit me in the head when I was writing, so hard, that I almost fell from my chair XD So yep, it's a good song :)**

**Okay then, the second part, the detention part, was majorly edited (I rewrote the whole thing again with way different ideas) so hope you like it ^_^**

**And yep, a lot of criminal affairs and stuff in this chappie. It was never meant to be a crime fic, but part of it turns out to be so O_o**

**So yep, hope you like it :) I was really hesitating for the chapter title:**

**It was:**

**Trials and Complications VS Move Along**

**I chose the second one XD Before it was edited, it was the first one, but then I chose Move along :)**

**So yeah, I have a sudden urge to listen to Cascada now, something's really messed up up there O_o It's not that I don't like her, hell, I love the beat of her songs, but Linkin Park is my type of song, not Cascada. One of my fuses must have blown when I edited this chapter XD**

**So hope you like it ^_^ Please review :)**


	7. Day 7: In His World

**Author Notes:**

**THE END! XD Wow, I'm seven days late :O I suck at deadlines ^^; It would have been six days, but the document manager yesterday was disfunctional, so I couldn't submit ^^;**

**So yep. The chapter where everything end ^_^ So hope you like it, it's the longest chapter too, so yep :) ENJOY! :D**

**Warning: Major cussing towards the end MUHAHAHAHAAAA! XD**

******************************

For the first time ever since I was six years old, I finally woke up with a calm attitude, not wincing in pain, or worrying about anything, or instinctively shielding myself from what I had been used to receiving in the morning. I woke up, delightedly opening my eyes to the light, stretching and yawning.

Then, I turned to the other beds, spotting Sheik and Dark still sleeping. They deserved it. We got out of detention exhausted, especially me, exhausted emotionally, around eleven at night. Trust me, we didn't even bother putting on our pyjamas and crashed into bed.

So it was today's chore. I yawned, getting up, checking the clock. Ten in the morning. Whoa. We've been sleeping for a long time now.

I decided to surprise them. After quickly wearing something, I grabbed my wallet and checked the rupees inside. I had exactly twelve rupees. I frowned. I'd have to get a job. But Dark and Sheik had done so much for me, it's the least I could do for them.

Putting my wallet and keys in my back pocket, I walked out the door, towards the cafeteria.

---

When I came back, carrying two platters of breakfast easily on my arms, I noticed the boys were still sleeping.

Surprise awakening boys! I grinned, putting the platters down on the metal table, and headed for my suitcase, under my bed. After fumbling through my underwear, I finally found my blue ocarina in a plastic bag. Grinning, I put everything back in its place and sat down on my bed, blowing a test note. Once done, I started playing.

The song was joyful, and it was called the Sun's Song. It was inspired by the way Cucoos clucked in the morning to wake a farming community up.

I was inspired to create this song when once, when I was thirteen, I escaped to Kakariko, a small farming village, and spent a few days there in hiding. Of course, I'd gotten hell when I went back home, but that little escapade had proven to be very good for my imagination. Another song I played, called the Song of Storms, was inspired by the way the windmill of the village turned and turned ceaselessly. Don't ask how it came to me, it just did.

With that thought, the Sun's song finished, and I decided to start the Song of Storms. As I played, my thoughts drifted to a bunch of little songs I'd assembled together. Each of them was inspired by different parts of Hyrule, and together, I called it the Symphony of the Warp Songs.

Indeed, there is a legend that speaks of an ancient Hero who saved the land, and had help from the legendary Ocarina of Time, which's replica I am now playing. So anyway, the legend says that the Hero used songs to teleport over Hyrule and made his travels easier. The notes for these songs were lost throughout the ages, but I decided to remake them the way I thought they would have been.

So here comes the Minuet of the Forest… And the Bolero of Fire… The Serenade of Water… The Nocturne of Shadow… And finally, the Requiem of Spirit.

Only when I blew the last note, Sheik muttered, eyelids fluttering open. Dark didn't move.

I decided to pick up the pace. So I started playing a song called Saria's song. Saria was one of my friends when I was still a child. She moved away to Termina a few weeks before auntie died, though. No, we didn't bear feelings for each other, but she partly taught me how to play the ocarina. As a thanks, I made her the song. So here I was, playing the jumpy song.

Soon, Dark mumbled sleepily, groaning and stretching as he awoke. I played the last crystalline note when he opened his eyes.

"Thanks for the wakeup call." He muttered, accompanied by Sheik, who was listening to me all this time.

"Dude, I can totally mistake you for a girl." He chuckled.

"What?" I blushed, putting my ocarina down.

"He's right. Long hair tied in the back, super-sensitive spirit, ocarina-playing agility and skills… Wear a dress, and I'd take you for a girl." Dark grinned, getting up.

I blushed deeper. "Not true!" I objected in a tiny voice.

"Totally! Especially with your voice, sometimes!" Sheik joked on.

"You're lying! I so don't look or sound like a girl!" I blushed, though smiling.

"Wanna bet?" Dark cut in with a sly smirk, pushing himself off his bed and towards the closet.

"No. Today's the dance. Not a very good occasion for showing off anything to my girlfriend." I muttered, taking my pyjamas off to wear my clothes.

"Haha." Dark muttered.

"By the the way, breakfast's up for you." I grinned, motioning with my head to the two breakfast plates on the table.

Their gazes followed my motion until they were met with the two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.

"BREAKFAST!" they both yelled like two idiots.

I started laughing. "Enjoy it while it's still hot, you guys." I chuckled as they took the plates and sat down on their beds, poking the eggs or stuffing bacon in their mouths.

"You ate already?" Dark asked between bites.

If this had been an anime TV show, I would have sweatdropped. But this is real life, so I chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. "I had enough rupees for two breakfasts…" I muttered low, knowing what their response would be.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"YOU HAVE TO EAT TOO!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU BORROW RUPEES FROM ONE OF US?"

"IT REALLY DOESN'T BOTHER!"

"Guys, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. So here's the least I can do until I get a job, thus more rupees." I chuckled again.

"Oh, okay, you're thanking us by starving yourself?" Sheik muttered, poking his food.

"No, I'll just wait till the party and hog the little sandwich bites there." I chuckled.

"The party's in the evening. I don't think you can stand that long." Dark pointed out, munching unceremoniously on bacon.

"It's around eleven thirty, soon to be noon. I can stand six hours." I shrugged.

The boys suddenly exchanged devious glances, putting their platters down. "No, you have to eat Link." Sheik chastised amusedly as Dark grabbed his toast.

"I don't wanna, just eat so we can go already." I rolled my eyes.

"YOU HAD NO CHOICE, DUDE!" Dark voice resounded before I felt something colliding strongly but gently with me. I fell on my bed with a short cry of surprise.

And before I knew it, someone was tickling the hell outta me. And being the sensitive boy I am, I am really ticklish. So I started laughing, trying to push Sheik away.

"NOW OPEN UP!" Dark ordered, hovering the toast over my face.

"I DON'T WANNA!" I kept laughing.

"OPEN UP AND EAT BEFORE WE SHOVE IT DOWN!" Sheik blended into the joke.

"I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!" I laughed freely, feeling like a child again. A child without a tainted and corrupted childhood. All those bad memories pulled to the back of my mind as I laughed, surrounded by my friends. The present came back to me, and I forgot everything but the joy I was feeling right now.

"Hey! I feel something rough." Sheik raised a brow, poking my belly button.

"It's my belly button stud piercing." I laughed, wiping a tear of laughter.

"Lemme see it!" Dark grabbed the bottom of my shirt and threw it up to look at the green stud piercing on my gut, glistering in the light.

"Dude, that looked so gay!" Sheik laughed, going back to tickling me.

"AH! PLEASE! STOOOOOP! NOOOOOES!" I continued laughing.

"I'm not gay, god dammit!" Dark groaned, working on finding an opening to safely stuff the toast in my mouth.

"Course not, Dark." Then, he turned to me, vulnerable under his fingers. "EAT IT ALREADY, LINK, AND THE PAIN WILL ALL GO AWAY!" he laughed. "JUST ONE LITTLE MOVEMENT THAT WILL FREE YOU FOREVER FROM THIS MADNESS!" he laughed semi-darkly, semi-amusedly.

"I WILL NEVER GIVE UP TO YOOOOOOU!" I kept laughing, trying to push him away unsuccessfully.

Through Sheik's and Dark's amusing threats and my denial exclamations, I suddenly heard the lock being opened. Soon, the door opened, and Zelda stepped inside, looking at us incredulously. We didn't stop for the least, just doubled.

"HEY YOU!" Zelda's voice resounded, muffled by my now-pleas for them to stop, but still denying anything that could be stuffed into my mouth.

"HEY ZELDA! WE'RE TICKLING THE HELL OUTTA LINK! WANNA HELP?" Dark yelled, laughing.

"HEY! STOP TORTURING MY BOYFRIEND YOU GUYS! HE'S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY!" Zelda pouted, jumping and tackling Sheik to the ground. I rolled away from Dark, still laughing despite the absence of fingers tickling me.

"Where'd you learn to tackle like that?" Sheik groaned amusedly as Zelda got off and helped him up.

"I made the all-boys football team in primary school." She grinned deviously.

"Holy shit. Link's a girl and Zelda's a boy?" Dark gaped sarcastically.

"I am not a boy!" Zelda giggled, blushing.

"AND I'M NOT A GODDAMNED GIRL!" I objected for the hundredth time.

"I like you just the way you are." Zelda grinned and hugged me tightly, purring slightly like a cat.

"So, you gonna eat that or what?" I grinned, pointing at their food.

"Was that all the tickling was about?" Zelda raised a brow amusedly.

"Yeah, he bought surprise breakfast for us but didn't have any rupees for himself." Sheik glared at me with a smirk.

"And we were just torturing him until he ate." Dark added in.

"And I refuse to eat." I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"You're so goddamn skinny, Link. Why don't you eat anything?" Zelda piped into our conversation.

"Sheesh! I bought the goddamn breakfast for them, not me! I refuse to touch anything on those plates! No amount of torture will ever make me eat! I won't surrender that easily!" I blew them a raspberry, then turned around, arms still crossed.

There was a silence, where I guessed everyone was looking at each other. I gulped down, wondering what they were thinking.

Soon, though, I realized what, when my screams and pleas for them to stop, drowned out by my laughs, started echoing around the room.

---

Later, we all walked out, still laughing. I was just groaning, having laughed constantly for more than fifteen minutes.

In the end, I had cracked, and had chewed on Sheik's and Dark's toasts, as well as a strip of bacon from each of them. Clutching my stomach, I moaned amusedly. "I can't believe my own girlfriend betrayed me." I muttered.

Zelda hugged me and chuckled. "She betrayed you for your own good, Link." she grinned, kissing my cheek.

"My two most loyal and amazing best friends almost tickled me to death, and you tell me it's for my own good?" I chuckled.

"Yes." Came the collective reply from the three people who meant most to me in the world.

"I hate you guys." I muttered amusedly.

"We love you too, Link." my three best friends replied together again. That's when we all started laughing.

"So what's the theme for this year's party?" Sheik asked.

Zelda grinned widely. "I chose it, and convinced daddy to use it." She laughed proudly.

"What is it?" Dark asked.

"I decided this year's theme to be punk/gangster/rebel theme. So just basically wear the coolest things you've got, maybe put on some makeup, and you're done. Daddy actually agreed." She grinned.

"You? YOU suggested punk/gangster/rebel theme? HA! Whoa…" Dark looked away, clutching his head. "I must be dreaming… Damn, I loved torturing Link so much." He muttered.

"Sadistic bastard." I grinned back at him.

"It's not a dream, Dark. You did torture Link, and I did choose the rebel theme this year. I just wanted to show everyone I'm not the preppy little girl they think I am." She grinned.

"Dude. I envy your girlfriend." Sheik sighed.

"My girlfriend. Don't touch." I grinned, pulling Zelda by her waist.

"I don't belong to you." She giggled.

"But my heart belongs to you, is that enough?" I raised a brow at her.

"Maybe…" she cocked her head innocently.

"Oh come on, you hold my heart, you hold my soul, you hold my love. Don't be a spoiled brat and take it already." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay lovebirds. So what do we do until six o' clock?" Sheik asked.

"Well, I'd like to go shopping for clothes for tonight." Zelda mused out loud.

"No one asked you." Dark grinned sarcastically.

"You said 'lovebirds'. Last time I checked, Link and I were the lovebirds." She stuck a tongue out at them. "Besides. Tetra and Midna can come too." She shrugged.

"I'm in." Dark immediately piped in.

"So am I." Sheik grinned.

"Cool! So where are we going?" I asked.

"We're taking you downtown!" Sheik immediately said before anyone else could suggest anything.

"We are?" Dark asked, confused.

"Yeah! Downtown Castle Town's Mega Mall has the perfect stores to accessorize for tonight's theme!" Sheik backed up.

"He's right. We'll take the bus to the train station, then take the train downtown." Zelda planned out.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm broke on rupees." I rolled my eyes. Though with the smug grin they gave me, I instantly regretted it. "No. No, no, no NO! Don't make me regret what I stated!" I frowned, stepping back.

"If it makes you better, you can give the money back when you get a job, but you'll probably forget it by then, but we're gonna lend you rupees whether you like it or not!" Dark grinned.

"Guys, please." I groaned. "I don't want anyone's rupees!" I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"Come on, love! It won't be fun if we shop around and you just stare! Besides, you need new clothes. I think I've seen you wear those jeans three times this week already." Zelda groaned.

I blushed. "I only have three jeans, which I alternate all the time…" I muttered, blushing madly.

"Another reason! Let's go!" she giggled, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Already knowing the answer, you don't have a cellphone, do you?" Dark asked.

I shook my head. "If you knew already, why did you ask?" I raised a brow.

"That's something else to buy for you." Dark took out a random piece of paper form his jeans' pocket and wrote down something on it. "There we go. Shopping list for Link." he grinned, showing it to me.

I took it to read it. "Three more jeans, two camo baggy pants, a bunch of cool t-shirts, a cellphone, new running shoes cuz his old ones look like they will fall apart right now." I read, throwing him a glare when I read that. He only responded with a grin. "Anyway, continuing…" I muttered. "A cap, fingerless leather gloves, all sorts of shiny chains and bracelets, and a box of cookies." I started laughing at the last one. "What are the cookies for?" I asked, chuckling.

"So I can steal them from you and eat them." Dark grinned evilly.

"Let me plan devious…plans… next time." I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, but it would usually require a hell load of equipment and unnecessary steps. Proof, Mission CTTPH." Sheik grinned.

"Shut up, admit it was fun." I smirked.

"Yeah." Sheik chuckled.

"Well, I have no idea what you guys are talking about, so let's move along. Midna and Tetra should be in our room, we can pick them up and go." Zelda suggested.

"Let's go." Sheik grabbed one of my arms, Dark took the other, and dragged me behind Zelda as we walked for the girls' room to pick up Tetra and Midna, and then head to the train station.

---

As we walked out of the school after recording our absence with the scanner, each one from us was laughing. I was relieved no one was still dwelling on the past's incidents. So I smiled and blended in.

Thankfully, the bus stop wasn't very far away, so we immediately walked there, and in less than fifteen minutes, we were already on the bus, heading for the train station.

---

"Did you validate your ticket?" I asked Zelda.

""Yep." She nodded.

We waited until Midna and Dark joined us, then, we headed for the little shelter we were supposed to be waiting in for the train. Actually, the breeze was pretty nice, and even if it constantly blew my long hair into my eyes, I enjoyed it as it blew through my light black jacket, making me shiver, but shiver in delight.

Going out with friends was not like I imagined. I imagined being thrown in the back of the group, following orders from a menacing leader while we walked around town, doing what he wanted to do, never asking for our opinion. I guess my uncle had too much influence on me…

It was actually not like I thought at all! We were actually a nice bunch, standing in a circle, so unconsciously saying that no one was better than someone else to stand in front, and others in the back. Anyway, we talked jovially, giving our place to others when they broke into the conversation, taking opinions, and asking questions. I sincerely loved the experience. Even if I'd gone out to the mall with Sheik and Dark once before, this was nothing like this.

Plus, with the girls, and the one person I'd give my life for being present with us, it made things even better. They had their humorous side, and proved it when I started crying of laughter.

Soon, the train came. Still talking and laughing, we boarded it and took our seats next to each other, in blocks of four. Zelda and I were left on the block next to the others'. At least it gave us time to talk and laugh, occasionally sneaking a kiss in between.

This would be an awesome trip, I was sure of it.

---

Once gotten off the train, Zelda grabbed my wrist, dragging me in front. I just looked around, mesmerized and feeling dizzy. All the cars, the buildings, the people… it was exhilarating! There were so many bright colours, so many thought buzzing through my mind… I almost tripped when Zelda nudged me to walk.

"Hold up!" I called, snapping out of my trance as I joined my friends.

"Link, here we are." Dark called, waving around. "Downtown." He grinned.

"I realized. And it's a very cool place." I whispered, looking around once more, awed.

"But what's best is the Downtown Castle Town Mega Mall!" Midna cheered.

"So where's the Mega Mall you're talking of?" I asked, grinning.

"Behind you." Tetra shrugged.

Slowly, I turned around. My eyes, looking downwards, had to lift slowly upwards. As my gaze travelled further up the huge building, my mouth gaped. After a while, a slight wind that made me shiver broke me out of my trance.

"This is where we'll be shopping?" I whimpered.

"You got that right! Let's go! At this rate, we won't have time to look over the mall!" Sheik cheered, walking in with Tetra.

"I'm not even sure we'll have time to scour more than the first level." I muttered, amusedly rolling my eyes as I strode in with Zelda, followed by Dark and Midna.

---

I can't believe I'm doing this… Here I am, undressing to try on a nice double sleeved shirt that Dark picked out for me, and they're going to pay for me when I don't even need it.

"Dude, I don't WANNA buy anything new." I objected from in the changing cabin.

"Shut up and get dressed before Zelda breaks down the door to look at you." Sheik laughed.

"Shut up, Sheik." Zelda growled.

"Okay, okay. Moody…" he laughed again.

I rolled my eyes and pulled on the shirt. Then, I opened the lock and showed it to everyone. "So, how does it look?" I asked.

"It's cool!" Sheik complimented.

"Isn't it too big?" I asked, seeing the bottom reach my thighs and the sleeves slightly hanging off my hands.

"That's the whole point." Dark smugly rolled his eyes.

"IT LOOKS EXTREMELY ADORABLE!" Zelda exclaimed, hugging me. "If you can find it in a dark green and white colour, I'll totally buy it." She grinned.

"I'm buying it for him!" Dark cut in.

"Hey, we agreed that I was buying it for him!" Sheik piped up.

I blushed, ashamed. "Guys, can we NOT discuss who's buying clothes for me?" I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck, embarrassed.

"Right, right." Zelda cut off.

"Sorry. Dark, you're paying. This time." Sheik grinned.

"Next time too."

"Next time it's my turn."

"It's mine, he's MY boyfriend."

"Can I pay? Just randomly like that."

"If Midna can pay, so can I."

"CAN YOU STOP GODDAMN ARGUING!!??" I screamed, frustrated, walking back into the changing room to change back. "I can't believe my friends are arguing over who's gonna pay for my necessities." I groaned.

"Sorry. Just trying to make you happy." Dark muttered from the outside.

"You guys are all I need to be happy. The rest is nothing I need urgently. I can't believe you're shopping for me." I muttered, taking off the shirt and replacing it with my own. Same with the baggy black pants I was wearing. Then, I walked out. "Let's just cash out and go look for something for you guys." I rolled my eyes.

"Alright!" Dark called, walking after me, followed by the guys.

Am I just that special because I have a troubled life? I sighed. I didn't even have a way to repay them… And they just follow me, deliberately, when I've done nothing but cry in their lap.

I don't get my friends' logic. But that's why they're my friends. Illogic people travel in packs, and I'm the newest member of the pack.

With that thought, I cracked a smile and threw my arms around Sheik's and Dark's shoulders as we walked out of the store, flanked by the girls.

---

"So how 'bout this?" Zelda asked, stepping up with a tight miniskirt and a short cut top that stuck, revealing the full volume of her breasts.

Dark whistled, almost immediately getting slapped by Midna.

"DARK!" she objected.

"MIDNA!" he laughed randomly like that.

"ZELDA!" I called, gaping at her eternal beauty.

Everyone started laughing. Soon, Tetra and Sheik returned a few clothes in their arms.

"Try these on, Zel." Tetra handed her a tight, three-quarter pink top. She nodded and walked inside to try them on.

A few seconds later, I heard Zelda gasp. "Are the sleeves supposed to fall off?" she asked.

"LEMME SEE!" Sheik laughed, almost immediately getting slapped by Tetra.

"Don't you DARE, bitch." She growled possessively.

"Fine, fine, sheesh." He rolled his eyes, pecking a small kiss on her lips.

"Like this?" Zelda stepped out, turning around to show her shirt. I almost fainted.

The shirt had a tight top that was held up by invisible straps on the shoulder. The sleeves fell off her shoulders in a decorative fashion. The bottom ended a few inches above her belly button, looking like the fabric was ripped instead of cut and sewn. A dripping dark red heart with a thorny rose was painted on the pink shirt, with black gothic letters on it spelling "Lethal Rose".

"You look totally amazing." I breathed.

"I thought so. I'm keeping this." She giggled, walking back inside.

"Sweet!" Tetra chuckled, then passed her a black miniskirt. "Also, before you take it off, try this." She giggled.

"Kay…" Zelda sounded unsure, but took it.

A few minutes later, she stepped out, even more ravishing than before. The black miniskirt was simple and plain, reaching the half of her thighs.

"What do you think, Link?" she asked me.

I snapped out of my awe trance. "Make a conclusion out of this face." I dropped into an awed expression.

She giggled and took a fake stern look, slapping me gently. "Don't look at me like that you lustful bastard!" she muttered, moving back into the cabin.

"Why did you slap me?" I groaned amusedly.

"Sheik and Dark got their share. It would only be fair if you got one too." She laughed.

"Thanks." I muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome, love." She stepped out, holding the new clothes in her hands. "We gonna pay or what?" she giggled, heading for the cash register.

"Let's go! Next stop, Sheik and Dark." I grinned, running after my girlfriend.

---

"I brought you both the same clothes." Midna called as she gave Sheik and Dark something to wear, each in a separate dressing room.

"Thanks." Came the collective reply.

"Why are you guys wearing the same things?" Zelda asked.

"Just to look funny." Sheik's voice came.

"Almost like twins." Dark laughed.

They were right. If not for little details like the colour of their earrings or their hair colour and length, they both almost looked the same. And almost the same as me. Fate really did play it weird this time.

"It'll be cool." I assured them.

"I know. On three, Dark." Sheik laughed.

"One, two…" the door clicked open, and Dark and Sheik stepped out, grinning.

I eyed them. "Nice." I commented. They both wore baggy jeans, and loose double-sleeved shirts on top. It was dark blue and white for Sheik, black and white for Dark.

"Sexy." Tetra purred.

"Tet. You're such a perv." Midna groaned. "But I like them."

"Yeah, totally cool!" Zelda added in.

"Sweet! So we're buying them!" Dark laughed, moving back into the changing room.

"Radical." Sheik chuckled, moving back into his own to undress and redress.

Soon, they stepped out, carrying their clothes. Smiling, we headed for the cash register.

---

At last, it was Midna's and Tetra's turns. They both chose the same designs, in different colours though. They stepped out, wearing tight black jeans, and for the top, single-sleeved shirts, held up by invisible straps.

Midna's was black, lined with turquoise designs that swirled and made interesting patterns. The bottom stopped a bit over the belly button. The low cut jeans hugged her hips right below the bottom.

As for Tetra, hers was lined with violet designs, with the same twists and patterns as Midna's. Both of the shirts' patterns glittered in the light. The bottom stopped a few inches over her belly button. Soon afterwards, a bit below her hips, the jeans started off.

"So?" Tetra asked.

"Amazing." Zelda giggled. "It fits you perfectly."

"How 'bout you guys?" Midna asked, nodding to us.

"Beautiful." I complimented.

"Super cool." Dark laughed.

"Meow." Sheik growled.

We all started laughing as the girls went back in to change. Very soon, we were up, walking outside the store, holding each our very own set of new clothes.

"Now, do you know where we should go?" Zelda asked.

"Lunch?" Dark asked.

"You always think about your stomach." Midna muttered.

"Back to my question." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. You're the shopping expert here." I shrugged.

The three girls looked at each other deviously, then answered collectively.

"SHOES!"

"Oh God, NO!" Sheik and Dark exclaimed together.

"Come on, I'm sure it's not that bad." I answered naively.

…Sometimes, I loathe my innocence…

---

An hour later, I was sitting down on a couch, looking extremely bored, while the girls ran around the shoes store, squealing and jumping around excitedly.

"You were saying?" Sheik asked, plopping down tiredly next to me.

"See, that's the difference between boys and girls." Dark crashed down on the couch. "We take a few minutes to choose the right shoes. They take hours." He groaned.

"Sometimes, I hate being naïve." I muttered, rubbing my temples.

"It's cool. We'd rather you be innocent than tainted." Sheik chuckled, hugging me.

"I don't wanna know what that meant." Dark shrugged, hugging me as well.

"What have I ever done to ever deserve you guys?" I chuckled.

"What, now you're not happy?" Sheik inquired curiously.

"Check the tone next time. What have I done to deserve you guys?" I sighed. "I've never done anything amazing in my life, and I feel so… loved here… It makes me feel warm inside… It's like nothing I've ever felt before." I chuckled sadly.

"Aw, Link's getting emo." Dark pouted, hugging me again.

"Don't be emo about it, Link. We're friends forever. Together till the end." Sheik grinned, throwing his arms around me. I smiled. I loved this new feeling… Being loved, and having people care about you… It was such a nice feeling, to know someone actually cared. I'd been neglected that feeling these nine last years. Now it was finally time to get it back.

"Guys! We found the perfect shoes!" Tetra suddenly broke our hug as she shoved brown boots in our faces.

"Nice." Sheik muttered.

"They're cute." Dark complimented.

"Super sexy, Zellie." I purred, seeing Zelda walking in them to try them.

"Shut up you perv." She grinned, taking them off.

"So NOW can we eat?" Dark asked, following the girls as they went to cash out.

"I suppose… I am feeling a bit hungry…" Zelda added in.

"I can't let you pay anything more for me." I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"You sure?" Sheik asked, a devious twist in his voice.

"Yes, completely su--" I stopped there, victim to an intense burning in my stomach.

It was too familiar by now.

"GAAAAH! STOOOOP! PLEEEEASE!" I fell on the floor, begging for them to stop as they tickled me to death.

"Admit you will let us pay your lunch, and we'll let you go!" Dark laughed, fingers agilely flowing over my gut.

"AAAAAH! NEVER! HELP ME ZELDA!" I begged, crying of laughter.

Zelda raised a brow, then dropped down, adding to the tickling.

"I SAID HELP, NOT MAKE IT WORSE!" I screamed, still laughing nonetheless.

"I WILL PAY YOUR LUNCH!" she laughed.

"Why are you guys making such a big deal about paying for Link?" Midna asked.

Sheik let go for a moment, and shrugged. "He needs to loosen up and have fun, but doesn't have the funds to do it correctly. So we're just helping him." He chuckled, getting back to tickling me.

"I'M ALREADY HAPPY AS IT ALREADY!" I laughed. "PLEASE! STOP!" I begged.

"No, we have too much fun torturing you." Dark replied calmly.

"GAH! YOU SADISTIC BASTARDS!" I screamed. By now, a few people in the store were looking at us as if we were crazy, which I believed we partly were, then shaking their heads and walking away.

"Just say it, Link! Say it, and we'll leave you alone!" Sheik encouraged.

By now, the tickling was too intense for me to resist, so I cracked. "I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP! PLEASE, STOP!" I laughed as the hands lifted. I was left on the ground, crying of laughter, clutching my stomach.

"There, was it that hard?" Dark asked, giving me a hand to get up.

I gratefully took it and jumped up. "Yes." I replied, dusting myself off and drying my last tears as we headed out of the store, towards the food court.

---

Once there, we all bought our meal (well, Zelda bought mine, again… I don't feel like I'm worth it…) and sat down on a random vacant table.

"Enjoy your lunch, everyone." Midna wished.

"Like hell I will." Dark muttered, digging into his steak and fries.

Everyone started eating, except me. I just poked my food, uninterested.

Soon, to my dismay, Zelda noticed. "You're not eating, love?" she asked, concerned. "You should be hungry since this morning, though." She reasoned. "Or maybe you don't like the food?" she asked.

"No, everything's cool." I smiled sadly.

"So why aren't you eating? Need another tickle round to convince you?" Sheik grinned.

"No, please. I just feel like I'm abusing your generosity. You're giving so much, and I'll never be able to give you much back." I blushed, embarrassed.

"No, you're not abusing anyone's generosity. I have so much money, I don't know what to do with it. My mom and dad work as lawyers, and are paid a lot. They send me around a thousand rupees a month, so no worries." Dark shrugged, still eating.

"My mom and dad are in the engineering sector, also paid lots. The money they send me always differs. Last month, it was 1200 rupees. This month, it was a thousand." Sheik added in.

"My mom works as a fashion designer, now out of Hyrule with work, and daddy's the school principal. I don't need to mention how much my allowance is, because you probably guessed." Zelda smiled.

"My mom's the Queen's secretary. My dad runs a huge ice cream store here in downtown." Midna laughed.

"My mom is an actress, and my dad directs her movies." Tetra shrugged.

"So since we have nothing better to do with our money, we spoil you rotten." Zelda giggled, hugging me.

"You're so goddamn lucky." I muttered, poking my food.

"Like we said in the bathroom, yesterday, Link. We're your new family, and as your new family, we won't tolerate that you're not happy." Sheik frowned. "Now eat." He ordered with a smug grin.

"Yes mom." I smirked, lifting a small portion of rice into my mouth.

"Hey!" he objected.

"You said you were my new family. You can be the mom, Dark can be the dad, the girls can be the brothers and sisters." I laughed.

"Right. Just eat." Dark rolled his eyes amusedly. I laughed, and finally lifted a piece of cucoo to my mouth.

And that's when I swore I would never deny their help ever again.

---

After lunch, Sheik checked his watch. "We have one and a half more hours, and then we have to get back to school to prepare for the dance." He told us.

"Dammit! We didn't even have time to check the third level!" Zelda panicked.

"Told you." I muttered.

"But our outfits aren't even complete!" Midna objected.

"We got the shirts, the pants, the shoes. What else do you want?" I asked.

Everyone looked at each other with smug grins. "ACCESSORIES!"

---

At the accessory store, I was browsing the earrings and piercing section more than anything else. I was thinking of buying new earrings (the old blue ones were discoloured by time anyway) and another belly button piercing ring. The only problem was that I didn't know how to remove my stud piercing to replace it with another.

But my thoughts wandered off to piercings in general. I usually got pierced to mark myself with a memory. I looked around. My friends were running around, choosing necklaces, chains, earrings, rings, all they could find, giggling and chuckling excitedly.

A wave of serenity washed over me. I felt so calm and secure, now that I had friends who cared.

Reborn. Innocence. Care. Love. Friends.

That's what I would commemorate.

---

And so, wearing a proud grin, I walked out, bearing two new glistering emerald studs on the top part of my ears. At this rate, there would be no more vacancy on them. But this was something to be commemorated.

All my friends had tipped in for the earrings and piercing. I wanted to remember them all with this, and so, I kindly asked them all to give a part so I could bear the proof of their generosity and concern on me forever.

Besides, I liked green piercings. And with my uncle gone, the world was free to me. I had a feeling I'd get lots more later on. Chuckling, I only endured the attention as Dark and Sheik poked my new piercings amusedly.

"Dude, there's not gonna be any more place at this rate!" Dark laughed.

"That'll mean I'd have lots of things to remember." I chuckled.

"That's cool." Sheik chuckled. "So what do every piercing mean?" he asked.

"The loops on my ears were a present from my parents. They'd asked my aunt to pierce my ears so I'd remember them when they died." I shrugged. "I got the belly button stud on my own, without my uncle's accord." My eyes narrowed at his mention. "Just to show him he couldn't break me again." I muttered angrily.

"Again?" Dark inquired curiously.

"Long story." I sighed, continuing. "And finally, these earrings will be like parts of you I'll always wear on me all the time. It's like I'll be carrying a part of you everywhere I go; so then, I could remember you guys by." I smiled.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Zelda exclaimed, hugging me.

"Yeah. Sorry to break the moment, but we have to catch the next train to get back to school on time." Midna reminded us, giggling.

"Well, we don't wanna be late for the dance." I stretched as Zelda pushed away. "So LET'S GO!" I urged them, breaking into a run. Screaming and cheering, my friends broke in after me as we joyfully ran towards the train station.

---

Stumbling into the school and scanning our cards around five thirty in the afternoon, we all ran to our rooms to change, shopping bags in hand.

"Seeya later Zellie!" I laughed, running away towards the right wing of the dorms, the boys' side. They took the left side, the girls' dorms.

Once to our room, we quickly opened the door and tripped inside, falling on each other, laughing.

Sheik, on top, soon got off and closed the door. "Let's go you guys! We have to get ready!" he cheered, running for the bathroom. "SHOTGUN ON THE BATHROOM!" he yelled, locking the door.

"HEY!" Dark and I amusedly objected.

"THEN MOVE YOUR ASS AND MAKE IT QUICK!" Dark added with a chuckle.

"Gotcha." Sheik's calm voice came.

"I'll take the room." Dark then announced.

"Where am I supposed to change, the closet?" I muttered sarcastically.

Dark stared into thin air for a while, then nodded. "Yeah, the closet could work." He laughed.

"Fine, fine!" I laughed, opening one of the closets and slipping inside to change my clothes.

---

"Everyone ready?" Dark yelled form the main room.

"Yep!" Sheik's vague voice replied.

"Yeah!" I screamed.

"Okay, on three, we step out! Kay?" One, two…"

I turned the handle on the door and wore my cutest smile. "THREE!" we said altogether, opening our doors.

There was a silence for a moment, then the two boys started unintelligibly exclaiming things.

"What?" I asked, eyeing them.

"Clearly, you didn't see yourself in the mirror yet." Dark sighed.

"Sorry if we don't keep mirrors in the closet." I muttered. "Why, am I THAT bad?" I asked innocently.

"Dude, we'd have been straightforward and harsh if that was the case!" Sheik laughed.

"Here." Dark moved a full length mirror in front of me. "Gaze at your beauty." He muttered sarcastically.

"Dark, stop acting gay for Din's sake!" Sheik laughed.

"I'm complimenting him, that's all!" he objected.

But I was too busy looking at myself in the mirror to listen to their quarrel, though. I looked just like the type of guy my uncle hated seeing. Hah, wish he was here, I'd like to shove this in his face. Grinning evilly, I scoured over myself once more.

My dark green shirt with brown graffiti designs stuck to the white undershirt hung loosely over my arms, falling off my shoulders a bit and hung low over my baggy olive/brown pants that almost covered my white brown-striped running shoes completely. Fingerless brown leather gloves hugged my hands tightly. As for jewellery, a thin silver chain ran around my neck, sparkling in the light. Another chain, wrapped twice around my wrist, acted as some kind of bracelet. One last one hung loosely sideways over my waist, just for decoration. A brown and white cap hung sideways on my head. Under that, my blond hair was strewn around in front, tied in a neat ponytail with a green ribbon in the back.

"Dude, this is awesome!" I chuckled, eyeing myself over and over again.

"I know, right? You are so much cooler than us!" Sheik and Dark stopped fighting to compliment my attire.

"No way. You guys are way cooler." I laughed, eyeing them.

They were both dressed in the same designs. Dark's double sleeved shirt was black with a white undershirt and Sheik's was dark blue. They both wore baggy jeans and white running shoes. Chains ran around their necks and waists, and fingerless leather gloves adorned their hands as well. Their caps were respectively black and dark blue, striped with white, and we set backwards, with a tuff of hair out from the hole in the cap. The rest of their hair was dispersed in front, loose in the back.

"You guys look awesome." I chuckled.

"Not better than you." Dark chuckled back.

"Come on, let's stop arguing on who's looking better and let's pick up the girls. We gotta get down to the gymnasium soon." Sheik winked.

"Let's go make their eyes pop out of their sockets!" I cheered, opening the door. Grabbing my keys, I stuffed them in one of the pockets on my pants, and stepped out, followed by Sheik and Dark.

---

_Knock knock._

"Coming!" Zelda called, turning the doorknob after adjusting her shoulder strap.

"HEY GIRLS!" all three of us guys yelled as we stepped inside.

"Guys! You look so nice!" Zelda exclaimed, looking over us.

"And you look super hot Zelda." I winked.

"I like it when you talk dirty." She giggled seductively, leaning in for a fast kiss, then turning back to Midna, who was pulling zipper on her boots.

"I'm almost done. Tetra's still wearing her top." She shrugged, motioning to the bathroom.

"I'm done! Just putting on my makeup!" came the objected all the way from the bathroom.

"Kay kay." We all laughed.

Soon enough, Tetra stepped out as well.

"Okay, ratings." I chuckled, looking at Zelda.

She wore the pink top with a heart and with a "Lethal Rose" graffiti on it. The pink sleeves hung loosely over her shoulders, contrasting with her pale skin. The shirt looked like it was ripped a few inches above her belly button. Right under that, her black miniskirt flowed, and two decorative pale blue straps hugged her naked belly skin, showing off her curves. Under that, her long smooth legs went down until her knees, where her brown boots started.

"You look ravishing." I blushed.

"You just noticed?" she laughed, pushing her hair away from her face sarcastically.

"No, from the moment I saw you, you became the center of my world." I chuckled, grabbing her slim waist and pulling her towards me for an intoxicating kiss.

Then, turning to Midna and Tetra, I evaluated them as well.

They both wore black shirts that stopped just on top of their belly buttons, and then, skinny black jeans flowed down, tucked in knee-length tight boots. Their shirts had identical designs, except Midna's was turquoise and Tetra's was violet. Their shirts actually didn't have any sleeves and hugged their breasts tightly, held up by invisible straps. They looked like biker chicks.

"You girls look dashing." I winked.

"Thanks. You're such a gentleman when you try. Sheik and Dark will probably say something like…" Midna didn't finish when Sheik cut in.

"Hot ass babes alert!"

"SEXY!"

"….Like that…" Tetra groaned amusedly, heading for Sheik and putting her hand in his own.

"Typical boys." Midna rolled her eyes, taking Dark's hand.

And so, paired up neatly, we strode out of the room with huge grins on our faces.

---

Our ears were assailed with loud music as soon as we walked into the gymnasium. Colourful lights danced around, the only lighting since the main lights were shut off. The DJ was pumping it up and down, and the students looked like they were having fun like two year olds again. Everyone was dressed punk style, baggy clothes for guys, tight clothes for girls. But everyone wore equally huge grins as they laughed, talked, sang, drank punch, walked, and everything else.

"It's so noisy in here!" Zelda screamed, barely heard by anyone, covered by the music.

"WHAT??" Dark screamed back.

"I SAID IT'S NOISY IN HERE!" she yelled back.

"YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT!" he screamed as loud as before.

We all started laughing. Well, the evening was starting off good.

"Care to dance?" I asked with a wry grin.

"Link! You're in a rebel/punk themed teenager party! Lose the chivalry and talk dirty to me, babe!" she laughed, rubbing herself on me with a wry grin.

"HELL YEAH I WILL!" I laughed, grabbed her and kissing her. She purred and replied tenderly. "Can I have this dance, Zel?" I asked, raising a brow with a smirk.

"Of course you can, you little tease." She grinned, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards the dance floor.

---

After a while, we retired to the sides to drink some punch. I could spot Tetra and Sheik on the dance floor and Dark and Midna talking to Mikau and Darmani, who had respectively Lulu and Ruto to go out with.

I then turned my attention back to my angel, who was swishing her drink in her cup, uninterested.

"Hey Zel." I called.

She looked up at me with those giggling eyes. "Yes, Link?" she asked with a gentle smile.

"You look like you're uncomfortable here. Wanna step out to the outside yard for a while?" I asked.

"Sure." She sighed in content, taking the hand I was extending. Then, she pushed herself up, and we headed for the door leading outside.

---

"Thank Nayru." She sighed in relief as soon as we stepped out. The fresh September wind blew her hair around, making her look even more beautiful.

"Zelda…" I sighed, heading over and putting my arms around her. "You don't know how happy your very presence makes me." I breathed in her intoxicating scent, smelling the nice smell on her hair. Roses… And she was the most perfect bud the world has ever seen…

"And you've made me happy too, love." She whispered gently.

"Come on." I pulled away, going a bit further away and leaning against the wall. Then, I opened my arms and made a sign for her to come on.

She smiled and headed for me, fitting perfectly in my arms as they locked around her. Then, I put my cheek over her golden hair while her hot breath blew on my chest and she shuddered in delight.

"I love you so goddamn much, Link." she whispered.

"That's not even half of what I love you with." I whispered back, kissing her hair.

A breeze blew, freely making her golden strands dance in the wind. Just the feeling of her sweet breath against my heart was enough to keep me alive no matter what. She lifted her head slightly, and looked at me with her giggling blue eyes. I smiled back and dipped down to feel her lips against mine. Our isolation bubble was slowly closing on us. There were just a few more inches between our lips. I wish this moment would never end… It almost became true…. Until…

"Hey, what's with the lovebirds?" an annoying voice cut into our moment. I lifted my head to stare defiantly in his yellow eyes, my grip on Zelda tightening tenfold. She shuddered but kept silent, digging her head away from him.

"Hello, Ganondork Fag-mire." I greeted with a low growl.

"Hello, Link Gay-den." He grinned back. I fumed. No one made fun of my parents' name like that! Thankfully, Zelda's fingers moving over my back prevented me from spilling any blood right here, right now. I calmed, still locking my defiant gaze with his. "Who's your dweeby girlfriend, Gay-den?" he asked.

"It happens to be me, Fag-mire." Zelda breathed, turning around, facing him courageously.

The air froze for a moment. Ganondork stepped back, astonished, looking at us as if we were ReDeads from the Twilight Realm.

"Y…You…?" he stammered.

"Yes, me." She raised a brow.

"It… It can't be!?" he objected.

"Looks like it is." I piped in.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he yelled at me, looking straight into my defiant baby blue eyes. His yellow orbs were flaring in anger and disappointment.

"You can't control me." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD FAIRY BOY!" he fumed.

"Bring it." I taunted, a dangerous idea sprouting in my mind.

"Link." Zelda objected, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Don't provoke him." She whispered.

"I'm doing it on purpose. You run inside and call your dad, as well as the guys. Go, I'll keep him busy." I winked at her, turning back to meet Ganondorf's fuming expression.

"Kiss for luck." She smiled sadly, kissing me briefly, then moving away inconspicuously. Thankfully, Ganondorf was already choking when he saw us kiss, so he was too busy planning in how many horribly gory ways he'd kill me, I imagine, to notice Zelda slipping away.

"When I'm done with you, Gay-den, you'll wish you'd never been born." He threatened, cracking his knuckles.

"You can always dream." I shrugged.

He growled low, lunging to punch me. I swiftly dodged to the side, the first part of my dangerous plan moving into action.

"Come back here, you fucking little bitch!" he roared, jumping sideways to try and catch up.

"Why should I listen to you?" I asked innocently with a grin as I jumped away again. The yard was huge, it was virtually impossible to be cornered. I had nothing to worry about.

---

I HAD SO MANY THINGS TO BE WORRIED ABOUT! Seriously, where is Zelda? It's been over ten minutes she's been gone now!

I winced in pain when Ganondorf crushed me against the wall like a worthless insect, his hand gripping my shirt tightly and loosening it considerably. Who knew that out of all the things that could happen to me, I'd trip on a rock, leaving Ganondorf a chance to grab me. After calling his bunch of sadistic friends who were now watching me like I was some sort of animal, I ended up in this position. Ouch.

"I'm gonna take a pleasure of watching you suffer and writhe in pain." He growled, gritting his teeth so hard, I could hear them squeak against each other.

"I'm sorry, I can't accord you that pleasure right now." I rolled my eyes, biting my lip when he scraped me along the wall, scratching my cheek, elbow and the back of my foreleg slightly. I knew this would hurt. But it was for a good cause. If everything went on exactly as planned, no matter how much pain I would be in, Ganondorf would be gone forever. I just needed to provoke him enough…

"YOU WILL!" he roared, rearing up and punching me in the face.

I muffled a curse as I tasted blood, my left cheek burning harshly. Where are you, Zelda? This is enough provocation, I just need assistance now.

"You WILL die." He growled, a burning intent in his eyes.

"Go Ganon." Zant chuckled evilly from behind him.

"Kick his ass, Gann." Veran cheered darkly. Thanks a lot. I coughed up some blood accumulated in my mouth. Jee, wonder where that came from. Sarcasm at its maximum.

"You bet I will." He grinned sadistically, twisting his arm and throwing me to the ground.

The perfect setting. All I needed was Zelda's dad now…

I was thinking over that when I felt something pushed against the back of my neck, and pushing, dangerously cutting most of my air supply. Oh shit.

"I can't decide whether to beat you to death, or just choke you slowly." He growled, annoyed.

"You know you can go to juvie if you kill me, right?" I choked out.

"It's all worth it, to get rid of you once and for all." He growled menacingly. "But since we're a democratic society, who votes for me to beat him to death or choke him to death?" he asked, pushing stronger on my neck. Thankfully, no bones cracked…yet…

"Beat."

"Beat."

"Choke."

"Choke."

"Choke."

"Can I have something in the middle?" I coughed out, accompanied by some blood.

"Shut up, maybe I'll break your neck instead of choking, and if you're lucky, it'll be over before you know it." He trembled angrily so hard, I felt the vibrations over my own body.

"Come on Zelda, where are you?" I whispered, gritting my teeth.

As if answering my call, my angel burst through the sides of the walls, glaring horrified at me.

"HE'S HERE!" she screamed, then turned to Ganondork. "STOP THIS MADNESS RIGHT AWAY, GANONDORF!" she ran for me, her black miniskirt swishing around frantically.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth, unconsciously pushing harder on my neck. I choked and coughed, reminding him that I was still under his feet.

A few seconds later, my friends burst in, worried looks on their faces, followed by the only person I wanted to see now.

"Mister Dragmire, you'd better stop right away!" the principal, Zelda's dad, our saviour, yelled as he hurriedly paced towards us.

"Oh shit." Onox cursed, trying to turn away and run.

"And don't think you can get away that easily, you others guys." The principal pointed at Mido, Onox, Zant, Vaati and Veran. "Stay where you are!" he ordered. Then, he stopped in front of my friends, who then crossed to help me.

"Get off of him, Dragmire, you have already committed a great infraction of the school civility code, and you will be in a worse position if you don't obey to me now! Call your parents, I want you in my office in ten!" he roared.

Grumbling in disappointment and muttering curses about me and the principal, Ganondorf finally took his foot off of my throat.

"Thank Farore." I breathed, coughing violently, eliminating some blood as well as breathing the air I'd been deprived of for so long.

Two arms grabbed my left arm, two others my right, and lifted me back up on my feet. I swayed around dizzily, still affected by the sudden surge of air entering my lungs so quickly after almost being half choked to death.

"You okay?" Sheik's caring voice sounded next to me.

"Yeah." I whispered, looking up. Zelda was worriedly looking at me while Midna and Tetra had comforting hands on her shoulders to keep her from rushing on me and really choking me to death with a hug. "I swear, I'm okay, nothing's wrong." I smiled, soon coughing slightly as I gulped down some blood. It tasted metallic, hot, disturbing and disgusting. "Yuck." I grimaced.

"What happened?" Dark asked from my right side.

"I don't know. One second, we were playing tag to buy time for Zelda to get you guys, then the next second, I'm pushed against the wall and punched in the cheek, then, half choked to death, and you guys come in and save my ass. Again." I chuckled sheepishly.

"You can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Tetra rolled her eyes.

"It's in my nature." I grinned.

We then all shut up and turned towards Mr Lighte, who was noting down the faulting students' names.

"…Vaati Winds, and Mido Kokiri, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." Mido mumbled.

"Very well. I'm giving all five of you a suspension for a week, we'll see about that in a while. Right now." he turned to Ganondorf, looking at him sternly. "Mister Dragmire, you are well aware that your severe infraction of the school civility and security code will lead to an expulsion, are you?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Can you repeat that in English, please?" Ganondork rolled his eyes tiredly.

"Now you're just spreading oil on fire, Mister Dragmire." The principal growled. "You almost killed a student on school grounds tonight. It is surely expulsion now. Call your parents, then head to the office, I'll be right there." he ordered.

Muttering curses under his breath, Ganondorf shot us a look that could kill, then turned away, stalking away towards the door.

"As for you." The principal turned to me. "I… I'm not sure what to say…" he sighed desperately. "First, getting physically abused in the school walls by a guardian, then almost getting killed in the school perimeter…" he sighed. "You're a trouble magnet." He chuckled darkly, laughing slightly.

"I know, sir, and I'm terribly sorry." I sighed as well.

"No, it's not up to you to be sorry, it was all the school's fault… Now the social services are gonna hate us…" he moaned. "So now, I'm guessing we have to give you double the compensation, if we get sued, we get sued twice..." He rubbed his eyes tiredly, sighing again and again.

"Sir." I cut into his speech. "I will do everything within my grasp to avoid getting the school sued. It was all my own fault, it's okay." I rolled my eyes. "And then, if there is really no way I can escape compensation, then expulsing Fag-mire…" He and I both ignored the disrespect that could have cost me punishment. "…Will be enough compensation for everything that ever happened." I smiled.

"I'm afraid there really is no way to avoid compensation, lad. And your constant way of taking the blame on yourself is getting annoying" he chuckled. "Unless we really want the entire social services tight up on us, you will get a compensation." He sighed amusedly. "But yes, Ganondorf will surely be expelled. Students like him are decreasing our school's reputation. Hopefully, no one hears about what happened now…" he rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"It's okay, sir. Even if everyone does hear, I promise I'll make sure everything is fine." I smiled, shaking my head to clear the blur.

"You amaze me." He muttered.

"Everyone who said that has already regretted his words. And if I do amaze you, it's because of my sixth sense, the one capable of attracting trouble." I chuckled darkly.

"It's okay. Now, excuse me all, I have five suspensions to inflict and an expulsion to discuss." He sighed. "Have a good time for the rest of the night." He smiled, turning around and heading for the door, motioning for Ganondorf's gang to follow.

That's when the pieces finally fell into place. My vision cleared up, soon blurred by tears of joy.

"Yes!" I cheered.

"What?" Midna asked.

"We finally did it, you guys! We finally got Ganondork expelled!" I laughed. I think I lost my head.

"Hey, the party's inside, why not go join in?" Zelda suggested.

"Great idea Zel. He's yours now." Sheik and Dark laughed, letting go of me.

I stumbled at first, then regained my balance, stopping in front of Zelda and taking her in my arms. "She's the real hero here. If she hadn't called you guys, I'd be beaten to a bloody pulp, or choked dead, or being whipped with their belts, or something equally painful." I chuckled darkly.

"Being what…?" Dark asked, gaping.

"My life experience has made a gory emo out of me." I sighed over dramatically.

"Forget your life for now, let's go party!" Zelda cheered.

"How could I forget my life when you ARE my life?" I asked rhetorically.

"Oooh! He's a poet!" Zelda giggled, tenderly kissing me, relieving the pain in my jaw (that punch didn't break anything, surprisingly), then pain in my scraped areas, but mostly, the pain in my heart.

I sighed in relief. "Kay. It's getting chilly out here. Let's go." I smiled, turning around and heading inside. Crunching footsteps in the grass behind me proved my friends always followed.

Once the door opened, we were immediately assailed by the loud music of the inside. "Well. Let's go already." Zelda grinned.

"Woot for partying!" Dark cheered from behind.

"Let's go shake it down!" Tetra and Midna laughed together.

"Let's go jump to the beat." Sheik grinned.

"I get it. Let's go drown ourselves in there." I chuckled, stepping inside, almost immediately getting lost in the crowd of students.

---

"A moment of attention please. Just a moment." The DJ called out, putting off the music.

The students whined, but soon shut up. "What's going on?" Dark asked, disappointed.

"Just a moment. Now, we'd all like to thank you for being here tonight for this ROCKIN party!" the DJ smiled as the crowd started cheering. Once they shut up again, he continued. "So I just want to thank a few people. For one, I'd like to thank our very own Principal Lighte for organizing the idea. Apparently he's not present now." he looked around confusedly.

We all chuckled. Of course he wasn't. He was too busy expelling Ganondork to be here.

"And second of all, all our sponsors. And finally, our very own Miss Zelda Lighte, for suggesting the theme, organizing the party and making sure everything was cool. Let's give her a well-deserved hand, let's take her in!" the crowd started cheering as Zelda blushed next to me. "Miss Zelda, come up and give us a word!" the DJ laughed, handing the mic towards her.

"Come on baby, your turn to shine." I laughed, pushing her a bit.

She blushed and chuckled. "Alright." With another smile, she headed for the stage and put up the steps. The cheers, mostly from the boys, doubled harder.

"Thank you everyone." She smiled, blushing. "I'm really happy now, are you all having a good time?" she asked.

"YEAAAAH!" came the resonating reply from the crowd.

"Well, I'm glad. I actually needed to loosen up a bit, show everyone I wasn't the preppy girl they thought I was." She chuckled, along with the crowd that started laughing.

"GO ZELDA!" a few cheers called up.

"Well, I won't take up much more of your time now, I must be pretty boring…" she rolled her eyes when the crowd sarcastically started clapping and cheering. "You're no fun, you guys." She laughed her pure, crystalline laugh. "So anyway, I would like to thank a few people too before I get down and keep partying." She winked, a few more cheers rising from the crowd. "So I'd like to thank my two best friends, Midna and Tetra, for always being there for me. Party-wise, they also helped with the choice of music and the decorations. So thanks you guys." She smiled.

"GO MIDNA AND TETRA!" we cheered, laughing. The crowd briefly cheered as well.

"Then, I'd like to thank two of my best friends. They're boys, but don't go getting ideas." She laughed, followed by the crowd. "So yeah, a big hand to Sheik and Dark for knowing how to make me laugh no matter the situation." She laughed.

Cheers rose from the crowd, and I smiled. He kept me for last, I knew it.

"And in the end, I'd like to thank someone very special to me. Okay, he has just been introduced to me, but even in a week, we've become very intimate. No, I'm not pregnant." she laughed, accompanied by everyone else. "So yeah. I'd like everyone to give a huge hand to the only person that I need to live, I need to keep me sane, that I need, short like that. Thank you for everything, Link." she smiled.

A huge cheer erupted from the room. I blushed, trying to shrink.

"DUDE!" Sheik laughed, patting my back.

"That was ONE huge introduction to your name. How come we didn't get any?" Dark pouted.

"She loves you guys all the same. Except Link, she loves him more." Tetra laughed.

"Come on up, Link." Zelda invited.

"No." I shook my head at her.

"Come on, don't be shy." she winked, making the entire audience laugh.

"I'm not shy." I crossed my arms.

She, of course, didn't hear, but saw my posture. "Come on, Link. Stop making me humiliate you and come up here." she laughed.

The crowd laughed again, trying to spot who she was talking about. I sighed, and before she had time to humiliate me further, I pushed myself up the stage.

"So I see you decided to come up." she laughed, creating another uproar.

"Shut up, you're embarrassing." I whispered, blushing harder.

"What? I'm embarrassing, you say?" she pretended being offended.

"Shush!" I gritted my teeth.

"Okay, seems I'm embarrassing him, so I'll stop now." Zelda laughed, soon accompanied by the crowd as well.

"Please stop." I sighed, eyes downcast.

"Come on baby. We're just messing with you. I love you nonetheless." she leaned in and kissed my cheeks.

A resonating AAAAAW! Came from the crowd, followed by whistles, cheers and laughs, making me blush harder.

"Say something, Link." she chuckled.

I hesitantly leaned into the mic and awkwardly grinned. "Umm… Hi…" I waved shyly.

The crowd laughed. I blushed harder, and tried shrinking away, but Zelda's hand on my shoulder stopped me short. "Link." she scolded amusedly.

I reluctantly leaned back into the mic, not being the one for attention. "This is really awkward. I'm no good at speeches… So…Yeah… Hope you're having fun. Let's give a huge hand to Zelda." I chuckled as the crowd clapped again, laughing. "So yeah, enjoy the evening." I wished, then moving away from the mic.

Zelda smiled, following me. "So. It's finally over, hunh…?" she sighed happily.

"What do you mean?" I inquired curiously.

"Well, your uncle is gone, Ganondorf is expelled, the police is on your case, and you're gonna receive compensation. So everyone's well and happy. The end." She laughed.

"The last one is still a problem, but I'd rather not talk about that now." I rolled my eyes.

"I understand." She nodded. "Wanna go in a calmer corner? Or go outside again, now that Ganondorf's not there to threaten you anymore?" she asked.

"I'd say yes, but my favourite song is playing." I chuckled.

"What is it?" she asked, not recognizing the tune.

"Maybe you can guess, just check the refrain." I chuckled. "Here it comes anyway…"

_"In his world, where one is all. In his world, never fear the fall! When you leap without a net you'll find, that it won't be there all the time! So watch your step, now, watch your step, don't fall!"_

"I can't recognize it, but it has a nice beat." She laughed. "And the lyrics kinda... apply... Hehe. I have a new favourite song." she smiled sweetly.

"Okay, let's move then." I smiled, taking her hand and leading her outside. From the corner of my eye, I saw the guys pointing at me and following us.

Once outside, we were finally relieved from the loud music, even if it was my favourite song.

"This is awesome. Great job once again, Zellie." Sheik complimented.

"Yeah, this is one hell of a party." Dark grinned.

"Thanks, glad you're enjoying it." She smiled, shivering when a wind blew. I opened my arms, and she cuddled against my chest.

"I'm in pure bliss." I sighed.

Everyone laughed. "Yeah, we can see." Midna remarked, seeing my relaxed traits.

There was a moment of silence when the girls moved into their boyfriends' arms, all cuddling lovingly.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Zelda asked, giggling, as she put her head up and gently kissed me.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't forget it for the world." I chuckled, replying softly to her kiss.

She smiled, and cuddled back against the base of my throat. "You know what?" she asked.

"What?" I replied, smirking.

"It's true we had our rough times, troubled sleeps and disturbing nightmares, but in the end, it looks like our fairytale did come true." She sighed dreamily.

"She's right." Midna cut in. "No matter how many obstacles we overcame, we finally got our happy ending."

"And we all did it together." Tetra added in. "We passed over this troublesome period together." She smiled.

"We're the greatest team of all times." Dark added.

"And I wish for us to stay like this for as long as possible." Sheik smiled.

"I love you guys so goddamn much. You've done so much for me, I can never repay you. But I'll stay loyal forever. Friends for life." I finished up.

"Friends for life." Came the collective reply from everyone.

There was a moment of silence when we kissed, just for the sake of kissing. When my lips finally parted with Zelda's own, she sighed.

"Can I ruin this moment with a bad pun?" she asked gently.

"Let's hear it, love." I chuckled.

"It funny. It's in science class that all the chemistry started." She giggled.

"ZELDAAAA!" came our collective laughs and groans.

"Warned you." She giggled back.

"Come on." I laughed, kissing her again.

We abruptly started laughing, all of us. The smiles we bore were now seals of our friendship. As the rising moon shone upon us, illuminating our grinning faces, I realized my life was now perfect. I had best friends, a good home, love and concern from everyone, a good education, and I had an angel. I needed nothing more.

And it was only now that I realized that these precious and priceless things could be found Only in High School.

*******************

**Author Notes:**

**My trademark ending with the title XD I sign my name by doing that, in a way :)**

**Okay, so OISH is done! W00T! Another story completed :) Now I have BtT to finish O_o It's weird. BtT has been incomplete since December 2008. In the meantime, I've finished three stories, and I'm working on two oneshots :O Wow -_-;**

**So the song you heard was also one of my favourites :D Shameless adverstisement: The song, His World by Zebrahead, is AWESOME! You must go search it up on youtube :O Whoever has played SSBB will recognize the song. Yes, the instrumental version is a Green Hill Zone stage soundtrack. But search up Zebrahead's version ^_^ IT'S WAAAAAY BETTER THAN ANY OTHER VERSION :O**

**EDIT! : Here's the link. Just type youtube, and paste this behind the address bar :) **

**_/watch?v=ZTqNiDAUbZg_**

**And yay, Ganondorf got expelled XD. I was having trouble deciding whether I should use _expulsed_ or _expelled_. I'm figuring they both mean the same, right?**

**So yeah, that's about it :) I still wanna thank all of you guys, 'scpecially Canada Cowboy and Wavebreeze for proofreading and correcting and all that shit XD So yeah, thank you all for reading and reviewing. Every word in your reviews means a lot to me, so you have no idea how happy you make me ^_^ Plus, my hits and review counts are skyrocketing :O I love you guys so much! ^_^**

**And yeah. Once again, thanks for reading, and hope you liked it, it was pretty good actually, I think. So for one last time, let's make one huge review PWEEEEEEESE! to make me happy :D So yep ^_^ Hope you all enjoyed this story :D**

**OISH,**

**Over and Out :D**

**~LoZ4Life**


	8. Two years later: Rise

**Author Notes:**

**Heyyz :D Here's the epilogue, very short because I couldn't write longer without crying XD Yesh, I'm sentimental with Zelda fanfics, but not in real life ^^;**

**So yep, just something to conclude, very quick, hope it doesn't look too bad ^^; Enjoy :D**

**--PS: Just a little message to my anonymous reviewer, "Quick" edited again :D**

**Heh, thanks for the tip, only thing is, I've already read the fic, and I'm following it (it's on my Alerts list). So thanks, but I'm okay ^__^ I have to admit, though, it's a nice story :)**

**And I'm glad you stopped cursing XD**

**--**

**Hmm... That's about it :D ^^; Well, regardless :) Hope you enjoy this very brief epilogue ^^;**

**********************

People say we have to move on, in life. I did, I am, and I will. But why? Haven't you ever asked yourself why you should move on with something you love?

I have, and it kills me inside to admit destiny twists our way like that.

What is left to do after you are given a graduation diploma, have thrown your hat into the air and have gone to the finishing ball? Well, part, of course. Part with the ones you love towards new unknown lands, where you will be nothing but a stranger to the world.

And that's why I am taking advantage of this moment.

The sound of lapping waves brought me back to reality. I snapped out of my trance, realizing my hand had slid off of Zelda's waist as we leaned against a rail, looking out towards the ocean. The salty smell in the air was still assaulting my nostrils, then sun giving a harsh glow as it reflected off the deep blue waves. After the graduation party, we decided to step out and take a ride towards the pier. It was a beautiful sight indeed.

I put my hand back up around Zelda's waist, ruffling the cloth of the simple white dress she was wearing, sighing in content when I looked at her beautiful face. She noticed and turned to me, smiling. "Yes?" she asked.

"Nothing." I smiled serenely, looking beyond her, where Sheik, Dark, Midna and Tetra were standing, couples hand in hand. They really looked like serious couples, the girls wearing gala dresses while the boys stuck to tuxedos. I had used the compensation I received long ago to rent my own tux. That's what happens when people give me money I don't want. "Hey guys." I called, checking my watch. They walked over to me with smiles.

"Yes, Link?" Sheik asked.

"Aren't your parents coming to pick you up about now?" I asked.

"Yep. They can't seem to accept that we're seventeen and can drive already." Dark groaned.

"Very funny." I pretended to laugh. "No, seriously. It's eight. Aren't your parents coming to take you out or something?" I asked.

"Yeah. They should be here now." Sheik shrugged.

"Hmm…" I emptily answered, looking back towards the ocean. So… This is how high school ends. My best friends leave, we get separated forever, and we all move on…

I felt someone glomping me from behind and smiled. "You never lost that habit, Dark, have you?" I smirked when Dark got off of me.

"Hey, it's only been two years." He pouted.

"Okay, okay. So what was the glomp for?" I asked.

"Cuz... You got no one to take you out now… I thought I'd give you a little token of my affection." He laughed.

"My boyfriend." Zelda hissed, putting her arm around mine.

I laughed, then faced Dark. "It's cool, I'm gonna look around for an apartment anyway, so I don't wanna lose time." I chuckled sheepishly.

"Where you going tonight?" Sheik asked.

"He's coming over to my place." Zelda answered for me.

"Make lots of cute babies, alright?" Midna joked.

We all laughed for a moment, relief sweeping over me. Suddenly, a car honked. We all turned towards a black limousine that had parked near.

"My parents." Dark's face fell.

"Mine too, I'm coming with you, remember?" Sheik pointed out.

"Don't forget us." Midna motioned to her and Tetra.

"So… You guys wanna come? I'm sure mom wouldn't mind." Dark asked.

"No, my parents have arrangements for us tonight." Zelda frowned. "Going out for dinner, then we gotta look for an apartment to rent for the two of us." She winked at me.

"Oh… Well… Uh…" Sheik was at a loss of words.

Tetra filled in for him. "Guess this is goodbye, then?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Guess so." I gulped down my sorrow.

"Then… I'm very happy I met you guys…" Zelda reached her hand out. For once, Sheik and Dark shook it correctly.

"Same here." Sheik smiled sadly.

"And I'll miss you two, you guys were the best friends I've ever had." She hugged them one by one.

"And it was nice meeting you, Zellie." Midna sighed.

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you girls." I added in. "Good luck with your life." I hugged them both. Then, I turned to Sheik and Dark.

I was about to say something, but the lump in my throat prevented me from saying anything. My lungs ached for air as I forgot to breathe for a while. The sorrow was too much. How could I leave these guys, my 'brothers', behind, and move on like nothing happened? Tears welled up in my eyes, but I gulped, trying to keep them at bay.

"You guys… Were the best things that ever happened in my life." I whispered.

"Glad we could help." I felt two bodies cuddling around mine. Heh, it wasn't a big secret that my heart was soft. My feelings had been bottled up for nine years, and I decided to get those nine years back at this age.

"And… At first, I felt so out of place, thinking I'd be the outcast once again... And you guys made it so much better... School has taken a turn for the better with you guys around. I don't know what I would have done without you…" I gulped down again, finding it harder to keep my tears inside.

"You would have been dead." Dark bluntly stated.

"Thanks." I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "No, seriously, I should have been dead, but you guys saved my life. I can never repay you enough." I smiled faintly.

"What, we didn't want you to die." Sheik laughed.

"Besides, you DID do something for us." Dark pointed out.

"I did?" I asked, surprised.

"What, haven't you realized that Sheik and I had the only red eyes in the school?" Dark laughed.

"Umm…" I thought back. "Nope. Sorry for not paying attention to peoples' eye colour." I laughed.

"Well, we did, and it was common to be called a freak of nature. Ganondorf used to pick on us all the time." Sheik shrugged.

"What?" I almost screamed, gasping.

"Yes. At the beginning of our first year, Dark and I were outcasts because we had crimson eyes. Then, Ganondorf and his gang of douches started picking on us, and we were usually left at the back until you came." He rolled his eyes.

"But you accepted us without difficulty. It means a lot." Dark smiled.

"Glad I could help? Besides, Ganondorf's expelled now, it's good news for everyone." I pointed out, grinning.

"Riiiight." Dark laughed.

"SHEIK! DARK! COME ON!" Sheik's mom's voice reached our ears as we turned to her, who was waving towards us from the car.

"COMING MOM!" Sheik called, then turned back to me. "Okay… Time to say goodbye, I guess." He sighed.

"Yep." I bit my lip to avoid bursting out crying.

"So… Goodbye, then?" Dark asked, unsure, holding out his hand.

I looked towards it, trembling slightly. Tears blurred my vision. I couldn't do it. Just a shake of hands, and our friendship would fall apart? I don't think so.

"Please." I whimpered, letting my first tears loose. "Don't go." I suddenly jumped over to them, enlacing my two best friends in a tight hug.

"You're a girl." Dark commented.

"And you're gay. So leave him alone." Sheik's reply came.

"How can I just shake hands and walk away? I'll never forget you guys, or what you've done for me." I whispered, crying silently.

"Neither will we." Sheik replied for both of them.

"Besides, we have internet these days." Dark pointed out.

"It'll be a while until I can afford a laptop in my budget." I muttered.

"Zelda can buy it for you." He commented.

"CAN BUY HIM WHAT?" Zelda broke in.

"Nothing, go back to cuddling Midna and Tetra." Sheik shooed her. She shrugged and walked back to her best friends, leaving me with mine.

"No, guys, I'm tired of taking advantage of you. I got a job now, I'm paying for myself." I rolled my eyes.

"Wait. Part-time waiter and part-time cashier? Nice jobs." Sheik laughed, trying to loosen the situation.

"Shut it, I'm very happy, thank you. Plus, we're going to college, so I can't have full-time jobs." I pointed out.

"You're right." Sheik sighed.

We stood motionless for a moment. Then, Dark unexpectedly piped up. "Okay, that's it, I'm tired of everyone thinking Link's the only cross-dressing girl around here." He then let a few tears slide down his cheeks. I looked at him, surprised, as he smiled. "I'm gonna miss you, Link." he whispered.

"Me too." Sheik added in, hugging me tighter. I saw a couple of pearls rolling down his cheeks as well.

"Guys…" I whimpered, but I stopped there, letting my tears drop silently, washing relief over me, and lifting the huge weight on my shoulders.

"Promise we'll keep in touch." Dark demanded.

"I promise no matter what." I answered.

"And promise we'll call often." Sheik added in.

"I promise on my life." I muttered.

When we finally broke, drying our tears, we all smiled at our stupidity for a moment, then extended hands. "Best Friends Forever, right?" I asked.

"Always." Sheik assured.

"Even when we all go our separate ways to different colleges?" Dark added.

"We'll still stand strong." I nodded.

"GUYS, COME ON!" Dark's mom's voice sounded.

"Hell, maybe we'll meet in university?" I tried.

"It's a possibility." Dark reasoned.

"Okay, we'd better go." Sheik motioned.

"Guys?" I asked.

"Yeah?" they both asked together.

"Promise me one last thing." I demanded.

"Anything." They smiled.

"Promise me that this is only a goodbye, never a farewell." I asked of them.

"Promise." They both answered at the same time.

"Awesome." I smiled one more time.

"Well… Guess this is goodbye, then." Sheik finished up.

"This is where the Dark Rebels of Hyrule High part." I put my hand in the middle.

"But our adventures will remain unforgotten." Dark said, putting his hand on top of mine.

"And our names will live on." Sheik added dramatically.

"Dark Rebels of Hyrule High, we break on three." I grinned.

"One…" Dark counted.

"Two…" Sheik took his turn.

Swallowing the last lump blocking my throat, I grinned. "THREE!" I yelled as our hands flew up in the air.

"Seeya later, guys!" I called cheerfully as the boys ran to their girlfriends.

"Have a nice summer vacation! Hope we'll meet again!" Sheik smiled.

"Yeah, our friendship is much more precious than any gem in the world." Dark added in.

"Since when are you a poet?" Midna grinned as Dark pulled her from Zelda with one last hug.

"Since never." Tetra laughed before Sheik pulled her away towards the car.

"BYE!" our six voices resonated as one as my four friends, my new family members, my unofficial brothers and sisters all left. We waved until their limo was nothing but a black dot in the distance.

Once they were gone, I breathed in a deep breath, feeling an enormous weight lifted off of me. No, I wasn't glad Sheik and Dark were gone, but I was glad I had gotten easily over this episode.

"Wanna go home, love?" Zelda asked from beside me.

"Not yet. Let's gaze at the sunset until the sun shines its last drop of light." I smirked, pulling her towards the metal rail.

"Okay." She followed me, plucking a small kiss on my lips before turning towards the dying sun.

It felt so good… The breeze felt so nice as it played around with my hair. Zelda's sweet essence lingered on my lips, intoxicating and amazing. My arm wound up around her waist as we watched the crimson streaked horizon.

The Dark Rebels of Hyrule High…

We'd parted, but that didn't mean forever.

Our adventures…

They had only lasted a couple of years…

But our memories would remain forever.

Seeya later, you guys.

*******************

**Author Notes:**

**I remember seeing that somewhere, the thing about "This is goodbye, but not farewell." but I dunno if it's that, or the contrary ^^; If anyone knows, it'd be appreciated if they'd tell me :)**

**So yep :) OISH is officially over now ^^; Sorry, excuse me for a moment while I sniff my tears away XD Seriously, i felt like crying (I didn't, seriously) when I wrote this, and I'm no good with sentimental scenes like this ^^; Oh, and parents. Yeesh. Always gotta be the killjoys XD**

**Little advertisement :D If anyone knows what "Ghost in the Shell" is, give me a shout ^^; I got this new song, it's called _"Rise"_ by Origa, and I heard it's from that... thing... So someone tell me what it is please XD _Fast and Free, Follow me, Time to make the sacrifice, we rise or fall...._**

**With that side note, lemme tell you all that the sequel to JLR is started ^^; I can't seem to make a good start, and the prologue is pretty short ^^; You can find a spoiler if you look well in my profile :D LOOK WELL! :D**

**So yep :) Hope it didn't look too rushed to you ^^; Later ^__^**


	9. The REAL epilogue: endlogue xD

**Author Notes:**

**Don't ask why I updated. I just saw this beautiful story sitting there, waiting to be forgotten, and said "Hey! This could never reach 100 reviews. Such a waste for such an amazing story..." so I decided to give you guys an update, see how far the reviews can go now. Everything's in here already, I don't have much to say. Till then :D Enjoy this unexpected update xD**

**_PS to Quick, the bitchy anonymous review who reviews a few times on each chapter just to insult the story:_**

**---**

**Well, for your info, you little bastard, YOU'RE the one who never learns. Didn't I tell you NOT to review this anymore if you didn't like it? I'm updating it because a lot of people tend to LIKE this story, unlike you. I respect your likes and dislikes, just don't bother insulting me, cause I'm just gonna laugh in your face, delete your damn pointless reviews and write this huge reply to you. **

**PS? If anyone's an asshole here, it's definetely you.**

**---**

**ENJOY THE CHAPTER, GUYS! ^_^**

*******************

_--Two years later--_

"Link! Link! LINK!"

"HUNH?" I cried out, falling off my bed, surprised.

Someone on top of me chuckled. I groaned and looked up.

"Why do you keep doing that?" I sighed, getting up and rubbing the side of my head.

"Cause I love you." The crystalline giggled response came.

"Zelda, Zelda, Zelda..." I scolded amusedly as I got up and caught my girlfriend in my arms. She giggled again and only pecked me on my nose before wiggling out of my grip and heading for the kitchen.

"What? Just a peck?" I complained amusedly as I ran off after her.

"Yes, because you've been a bad boy." She scolded, looking over her shoulder to smirk at me.

"Why? What have I done to deserve this?" I cried out sarcastically, raising my hands in the air.

"Let's see. Well, I can't remember everything you've done since we've gotten this apartment together, but for today, you made me yell my voice out at you to wake up. How could you oversleep on your first day at university!?" she groaned, slapping her forehead in fake disappointment.

"I was tired... They kept me till one in the morning yesterday at work." I pouted, crossing my arms.

That's who I am. Hi. I'm Link Gaiden. I'm nineteen years old, been orphaned parent-wise since I was born. As for sibling-wise... Let's just say my last uncle "died" when I was fifteen. Now, I live with my girlfriend, Zelda Harkinian, in an apartment that she rented for both of us a couple years ago.

Now, I do fencing, archery, and during summer break, I went to a nearby village for some horseback riding. I'm currently working in an office, hired to set all the files in their respective places in a filing cabinet when I'm not typing in front of a computer. I want to major in a specialized Graphic Design program. Cause I wanna be a graphic designer, obviously. And calculus, Zelda said it could come in handy.

As for Zelda, she's nineteen as well. Both her parents are still alive, but went to live in Termina, leaving us alone here. She's also trying to fence with me, archery is one of her favourites, she loves horseback riding, and we go camping often in the summer, which she really appreciates.

She's currently working as a waitress in a bar (part time, cause she doesn't need much money. I refused to abuse her generosity, so my job was full-time during the summer) but she aspires to be a child psychologist. She says the mind of a child is fascinating.

"Honey." Zelda sighed, turning around and cuddling in my arms. "You shouldn't push yourself that much." She frowned. "Specially that now, with university, you're gonna be more exhausted than ever. Take it easy, I'll pay everything for you until you finish university." She suggested again, moving her arms behind me and massaging my shoulder slightly.

I frowned. "Zelda, how many times have we discussed this issue?" I sighed. "I'm working for my OWN money, cause you ain't paying for me in any way." I pouted, crossing my arms.

"I'm paying for the apartment." She grinned, looking down at me.

"You were just lucky I didn't have enough cash to tip in when we did rent this thing." I stuck my tongue out at her. "Just you wait. When I finish university, I'm gonna buy us a huge house single-handedly, and you won't pay at all." I grinned, turning away indignantly.

"You can always dream, love." She chuckled. A quick kiss later, she walked towards the refrigerator as I sat down in front of the bar and closed my eyes.

"You okay for eggs and bacon?" Zelda asked from behind the bar that separated us.

Bacon... Tears came to my eyes at the mention of that particular food. It had a distant meaning to me, one that no one could ever understand. I couldn't either, actually. It just felt like a faded memory to me. An important one.

"Anything you cook is good." I chuckled back, half-smiling, though I felt a nervous knot in my stomach.

"I'll take that as a yes." She giggled, and turned to the frying pan.

I checked the clock. Seven thirty in the morning. My first university classes would start at nine. It took half an hour to get there. So we had to get out of here maximum at eight.

My thoughts were broken when Zelda put a fuming plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. The smell tingled my nose, and I smiled as I grabbed my fork and poked my food.

"Thanks."

"Welcome." She smiled sweetly, pouring me a cup of orange juice.

"You're not supposed to do all these things for me..." I groaned amusedly, grabbing the cup with a nod.

"It's your first day at university! Why shouldn't I?" she giggled in her sweet voice.

I simply rolled my eyes and drowned a bit of juice. Then, I nodded to thank her as I licked my lips.

"I think we should get going..." I tensed, looking at the clock. I don't know, first days always make me edgy. My food hadn't been touched. I was too nervous to eat.

First days... I remembered... Four years ago... Memories, faded with time, but cherished a lot. I have to make an effort to remember... But why? Why am I forgetting the things that have meant the most to me...?

It hit me. The day me and my best friends parted after graduation from high school, I was hit with a huge fever. The doctors couldn't identify the cause. I was bedridden for a couple weeks. Then, as suddenly as it came, it disappeared. A mystery of science. But I realised that I was not as intact as I was supposed to be.

My memories... I could barely remember the names of the people I cherished so much in high school... Everything was a big blur. Zelda stood by my side the entire time, thank Farore I didn't forget her, but... I felt guilty...

It started off as a regular headache. Then, I suddenly blacked out one day. Zelda later told me she called the hospital because I had more than forty-five degrees of fever. She said I had trouble breathing, was sweating a lot, mumbling deliriously, having occasional seizures and the fever just wouldn't go down. Then, a couple of weeks later, it disappeared. As suddenly as it came, it disappeared. That's when the doctors checked over and realized I had a light case of amnesia as a remnant from the fever.

It's officially cured now, and nothing remains of it, 'cept the amnesia part. I don't know how I got it, or who I got it from. Like I said, it was a whole new mystery for the doctors, but before they could take a good look at it, it vanished without a trace. Thank Farore it did vanish. The doctors later told me I couldn't have taken it much longer if it went on like that.

"Link, relax love! It's not even eight o' clock!" Zelda giggled, breaking through my thoughts with that sweet voice of hers.

I shot straight back to the real world and smiled. "Sorry, I'm a bit iffy." I grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

"I know. Just relax and enjoy breakfast." Zelda caressed my hair briefly and kissed it before moving away.

"I can never thank you enough." I smiled back at her, watching her hair sway as she walked away.

"Yes you can. By eating that food and changing into some clothes." She laughed, pointing at me accusingly.

Blushing, I looked down, realizing I was only in my boxers, the ones I used to sleep in. Face as red as a tomato, I sank under the table with a grin. "I hadn't realized..." I smiled sheepishly, eyes poking out from the table corner.

"I enjoyed watching that green stud glisten off your abs." She chuckled, motioning with her head towards the stud piercing on my belly button.

"Admit you like it." I grinned seductively, getting up and flexing my biceps in a cliché superhero pose.

"My eyes are unworthy of seeing that." She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"You're right. You are forbidden to look at this until the time is right." I chuckled with a double meaning.

"Time is right?" she raised a brow sceptically. "Riiiiight…"

"Yeah. When we have--"

"GO AWAY!! Scurry on! You little perv..." she giggled, shooing me away with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"You're just jealous. Look at it while it's still there." I grinned, lifting my arms and exposing my toned torso with the random stud right in the middle.

"Shut up and put a shirt on." She pouted amusedly, not turning to meet my sceptical gaze.

"Alright, alright." I chuckled, stepping back into my room. There, I grabbed a t-shirt and jeans. Then, I checked for everything in my bag. Laptop? Check. Pencil case? Check. Notebooks? Check. Cellphone? Check. Money? Check. House and car keys? Check.

"I'm ready." I sighed, stepping in front of the mirror to try and make some sense out of my falling strands of blond hair. When I had evaluated it as fixed enough in the front, I grabbed all the shoulder length hair behind my neck and tied them down with a green elastic. Once done, I turned around to meet Zelda as she watched me with a smirk.

"What?" I smirked back.

"Nothing. Did you eat anything?" she asked, concerned.

"I can't… Have this knot in my stomach. Damn thing won't let me eat." I muttered.

"Don't be nervous, love. Relax, I'm sure you'll do great. And please eat something, it's been since yesterday noon you haven't eaten anything." She pleaded silently.

"I can't, not matter how much I try to relax." I sighed.

She giggled. "Fine, but it's YOUR loss… So… Wanna go?" she asked, flipping her car keys in her hand.

"Okay." I gulped down nervously. She giggled again and stepped outside, and I soon followed.

Outside, we stopped in front of two cars parked in front of each other.

"Okay. Are we taking the convertible or the Porsche?" my angel asked with a wide grin.

"It's terribly hot outside." I remarked, fanning myself. "Let's take the convertible." I suggested, looking at the silver car we had.

"Can do." Zelda giggled as she grabbed the side and jumped inside without opening the door. I chuckled and did the same in the passenger seat. After buckling up and starting the car, Zelda put on her sunglasses and pushed on the gas pedal. Within seconds, she had turned the car out of the parking lot and we were speeding towards my new university.

---

The wind blowing through my hair felt good. I closed my eyes and breathed in deep, enjoying the ride.

"Hey Link…"

Zelda's voice, tiny compared to the sound of the rushing wind on the highway, rang around me.

"Yeah?" I answered back, turning to face her.

"You feeling okay?" she inquired worriedly, brows furrowing in worry.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I chuckled nervously.

"You're… quiet… I know that you're usually quiet… but you're quieter than usual today… Is something the matter?" she asked worriedly, concerned.

"Nah…" I shook my head, feeling the familiar knot in my stomach resurfacing. "But a tad nervous." I sighed.

"It'll be alright." She giggled, leaning over to give me a kiss. I closed my eyes as I felt her luscious lips on mine. I only opened my eyes right in time and gasped.

"ZELDA! YOU'RE GONNA MISS THE EXIT!"

With a squeak, Zelda turned the car around just in time to get the exit. Laughing all the way, we got off the highway and drove slower towards the university.

---

The last ten minutes of the ride were spent in silence. Zelda shot me a worried look once in a while, but I kept my eyes glued on the structure in front of me, silent. Even from afar, as soon as the trees were cleared, I could spot the campus entrance.

Huge.

One word that described it all. Huge. And I had the sinking feeling it extended farther away from what I could see. Hundreds of people were scattered everywhere on the front lawn, some with laptops, books, sketch pads, cellphones, music players… I lost track of my mind. So I just let my mouth drop, gaping.

"Zel?" I squeaked for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Yes, my love?" she asked from beside me, seemingly unfazed by the huge structure.

"You sure this university was the right one to pick for me…?" I bit my lip anxiously, eyes darting left and right frantically.

"Unless you wanna go somewhere else than where I'm gonna go…" she smirked. "Don't worry. It's the university with the highest ranking in the country. It'll be okay." She smiled, caressing my cheek.

"I sure hope you're right…" I frowned, gaze dropping from the immense structure.

"Baby…" Zelda pouted as she carefully parked the car. "Why are you worrying so much…? It'll be okay!" she comforted me, grabbing my cheeks with both hands and moving my face around to wake me up.

"But we're not even in the same classes… It's like… I'll be exposed to a whole new atmosphere, KNOWING that I could have changed it…" I sighed, disappointed.

"You're following your dreams, love." She sighed along, unbuckling herself and jumping over to my side. "It's the best for you and for me." She giggled, plucking a kiss on my lips.

My arms flew up on reflex, ensnaring her, encircling her, snaking around her arms and drawing her close. "Just a bit more…" I pleaded, liquid azure eyes peering within her compassionate ones.

"Anything for you." She gasped for breath as she dipped in for another passionate kiss.

---

A few minutes later, Zelda and I were walking inside the hallways, looking around curiously. I don't know about Zelda, but in addition to the knot in my stomach, I now had a lump in my throat. I think I'll let Zelda do the talking.

We stopped in front of Zelda's classroom. I gulped down nervously as she stepped forward, into the room. My hand suddenly shot forward on its own and grabbed her wrist.

Startled, she looked back at me. "What is it, Link?" she inquired, eyes scouring over me worriedly.

"I… I can't do this alone…" I gasped. The world was a big blur to me, but I had no tears. I felt dizzy, but the reason was unknown. I assimilated it to my stress.

"It's okay Link. It's okay!" she comforted me, grabbing my face in her hands. "Everything's gonna be alright…" she whispered passionately. "Just go out there and listen to the lecture. Then, jot down your notes, and go to your next class. You'll be alright." She giggled, then kissed me briefly. "I love you! Good luck!" she smiled and walked inside. Only when she was out of my field of vision, I sighed.

Why am I acting so weak? I shouldn't be so weak! I lost my reason to be a weak four years ago. I should toughen up. I should be strong.

With those thoughts, I was revitalized. Smiling, I lifted my head and strode confidently towards my own class.

---

I got there right in time. Quickly looking for a place to sit, I saw three empty seats between a blond boy and a black haired boy, both looking equally bored as they typed something on their laptops. I quickly moved and sat in the middle one, with one seat difference from each one. They were too engrossed in their work to notice me anyway. Sighing in relief, I wiped some sweat off my forehead.

Is it just me, or is this place hot? Like… Really REALLY hot? It must be just me… No one else seems to notice…

Even though everyone else is engrossed in some kind of work…

Oh well. My attention turned to the teacher as the lady teaching us entered the room and took her place behind the desk at the front. A bell rang, and all the attention was turned towards the lady, mine included.

"Welcome students, to advanced calculus 302." She greeted with a slight nod of her head. I took out my notebook, ready for anything.

---

Towards the very end of the course, I was sure something was wrong. My head felt woozy, my vision was blurred, I could barely keep my pencil up, and my balance was wavering on my chair. I frantically tried to keep my drooping eyelids open, and block the darkness from my mind, trying to find the cause. Could it be the incessant burning in my stomach? Dry throat? Nausea? The heavy heat in the room?

I couldn't find out because that's when I tripped over my chair and fell to the floor, unconscious.

**XXXXX…..XXXXX**

There was a huge noise of something falling in the classroom. Even the teacher shut up for a moment and turned towards the source of the noise.

It was located right in between the blond and the black haired boys. Both were looking down at the boy who was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, right in between them.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" the teacher called from the bottom, looking towards them.

"Miss! There's a guy who blacked out!" the blond boy called worriedly, biting the nail on his left hand's thumb.

"Oh dear…" the teacher gasped. "You two boys." She motioned to the two boys. "Take him to the infirmary, you are excused." She ordered, pointing towards the door.

For the first time, the two boys lifted their eyes from their fallen comrade's body, and their crimson gazes met.

The shock was immediate. Recognition flashed in their eyes, tears gathering in their eyes. Both gazes fell upon the figure on the floor, shocked awe threatening both boys to black out as well.

"Well! Get a move on it!" the teacher yelled. The two boys quickly bent down and each took one of Link's arms around their shoulders before they exited the classroom under everyone's inquisitive gaze.

**XXXXX…..XXXXX**

The first thing I saw a bright blur instead of the ceiling. Black dots danced in front of my eyes as I blinked to get them out of my vision. I slowly brought my hand up to my head and shook it to unsuccessfully try to clear the dots. That's when I noticed eight faces hovering on top of me.

Wait… not eight… As my vision got clearer, the eight faces diminished to four… then two… One of them was blond, the other was black. But both the people's crimson eyes were fixed on me, bloodshot, like they'd been crying for a long while.

"Hello…?" I asked faintly, blinking to get accustomed to the light.

"You okay?" the ebony haired boy asked, worried.

"Yeah, you gave everyone quite the scare back there." the blond boy smirked.

"Typical Link."

"Yeah, that's just like you, Link."

My thought rushed in my head for a moment. Those faces seemed familiar, although a bit blurred from my vision.

"How do you know my name? What happened?" I groaned, shaking my head a bit.

"One question at a time." The blond boy smirked.

"Okay… What happened?" I asked, going for the more obvious question first.

"We don't know. You just fell unconscious right in the middle of class." The black haired boy shrugged.

"The nurses just said you needed some rest and food and you'd be back on track." The blond boy shrugged along.

"Something about being too exhausted and hungry to keep up… And you gotta admit the classroom was a bit hot, so I guess it didn't help." The ebony haired boy continued, putting a finger on his chin thoughtfully.

Listening, I pushed up in a sitting position and shook the last black dot out of my vision. Their faces were now very clear to me, and I felt like I had known them before. Digging into my memories, I tried to bring back up some forgotten ones. With no avail. I couldn't reach exactly where I'd met these guys. Could it have something to do with the ravaging fever that attacked me a few days after I finished high school?

"Now, second question." The blond smirked, putting one arm on his hips, waiting for my question.

I hesitated, not knowing if I should dread or await the answer. "… How do you guys… know my name…?" I asked uncertainly.

The two boys looked at each other for a moment, smirking fully. Then, the blond turned to me first.

"What? Don't you remember us, Link?" he asked, putting a hand on my left shoulder.

"Us? Your high school best friends?" the ebony-haired boy grinned, showing his pointy teeth as he put another hand on my right shoulder.

The shock was immediate. I bolted upright as if something had hit me on the spine. My eyes glazed over as my mouth dropped in an awed gape. Limbs limp, my eyes glazed over as I zoned out for a moment.

High school… Roommates… Bully… Friends… Pain… Punches… Outings… Fun… Girlfriend… Zelda… Friends… Parent day… Abusive uncle… suicide… Friends… Comfort… Mall… Friends… Dance… Expulsion… Happy… Friends… Graduation… Goodbyes… Friends…

Friends forever…

More like BEST friends…

Every face I used to know in high school rushed back into my head so fast, that it hurt. I bit my lip to avoid screaming in pain, drawing blood. My memories were returning. They came back. The fever was just an event that locked them away… They say that sometimes, when in great pain, you tend to forget things… I forgot… I just pushed these precious memories to the back of my mind.

Ganondorf, Zelda, Midna, Tetra, Uncle, Mr Lighte… And these guys.

I snapped out of my trance when the blond shook me a little, worried. Shaking my head a bit, I felt tears drawing up my eyes, threatening to spill at any moment. Biting my lip, but not avoiding the smile that crept up my face, I chuckled.

"It's good to have you back, Sheik, Dark." I finally smiled. Not a second later, I jumped up and drew them both over the bed into a group hug. Choking and gagging, the two followed me, until they got up on the bed, making it easier for us to hug.

"I missed you guys." I whispered, too shocked to say any more.

"Same here." Dark grinned, becoming limp for me to hug him.

"Welcome to university, you guys." Sheik smirked, putting both his hands on his hips.

"I can't believe you guys come here…" I finally spoke up.

"We couldn't believe it either… We didn't even notice until you blacked out and we finally got a good glimpse of each other." Dark chuckled.

"Good to have you back, Commander." Sheik laughed.

"Yeah, just a few days after we left each other after the graduation, Zelda sent us each a letter that you'd fallen terribly ill." Dark pouted amusedly. "Fever, I think." He frowned thoughtfully.

"And I was in Termina for college applications while Dark was in Holodrum. So we kept worrying sick over you until Zelda updated us that you'd woken up again. We only worried with the fact that the doctors had diagnosed a light case of amnesia for you. Apparently, we had reasons to worry." Sheik chuckled, pulling back.

"YEAH! How could you FORGET you high school best friends?!" Dark gasped amusedly, faking being shocked.

"And they say high school years are the best years of your life. How could you throw us aside like that?" Sheik crossed his arms sarcastically.

I smiled for a moment, then it enlarged into a full grin. "I love you guys." I smirked, hugging them again.

There was a moment of silence where I felt like a fifteen year old again, as I hugged my best friends. Fate winds paths up and down, sometimes crossing a few, and giving them weird shapes. Our paths were one of the weird shaped ones. I smiled at that conclusion, tightening my grip. Sheik and Dark chuckled, feeling the extra pressure.

"You'll never change, Link." Sheik smirked, throwing his arms around me.

"You'll always be our favourite little fairy boy." Dark added, hugging me as well.

I grinned once more before I added my part, finishing our collective phrase. "Just like in High School."

**************

**Author Notes:**

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!!!!! Dark and Sheik ARE BACK! :D**

**I dunno where the fever part came from. From somewhere deep in my dark mind xD I just needed Link to forget Dark and Sheik, and have the flashback kind of thing when they touched altogether ^_^**

**Anyway, I has fanart. I know it's a bit late, but it's the cover for this story :D So for more info on how the people look, replace (dot) by . and check the cover out ^_^ I personally love it :D**

**www(dot)crazy-about-loz(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Only-in-High-School-Cover-120798696**

**It's also on my profile for a direct link ^_^ PLEASE CHECK IT OUT, IT WOULD MAKE ME ESPECIALLY HAPPEH IF YOU DID ^_^**

**Anyway, please review and make me happy, I'd love it if this could at least reach 90 reviews, which is close to impossible, cuz most of you won't review, I'm sure. PLEASE make meh happeh and review, I really wanna hear what you guys have to say :)**

**And this time, OIHS is REALLY over xD**

**SO PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


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